WSD School Board Work Session September 9, 2025

001discussions and like jump up and say, "No, I don't think that's true." Or or whatever you want. We can bump in. >> So, we're good now. Okay. So, I do want to go through and we'll do introductions really quick. And I uh so I think I'm the most good point on the board. Um but why are you excited to send and what you would like to get out of tonight? >> I want you to put that on car. >> Okay. Sorry. No worries. Anyway, and and then also one thing I need to know about Washugal and actually that's important because I find out all sorts of stuff about and it also I you learn from your peers too. So what is one thing is that I need to know um about Wugle. So, uh, as

002Aaron said, I've been around a little bit. I served on the Kelsil board for 14 years before I went to state board of education and then I left there not quite a year ago and, um, but have been stayed in education policy. I actually was an executive director of a educational nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon. And so been in the policy world a bit and still consult and work with WADA. But I shouldn't say this too loudly. I'm on a new board now and I love it. It's a Mount St. Helens Institute. So much fun. It's education and policy, but I'm hiking. I'm hiking tomorrow. I climb. I do all It is like the best board. >> It's a lot of fun and so it's kind of fun. So, I'm super excited. I'm getting off

003the state board. I'm to go with my husband. I just found a new board. He goes, "Oh, I'm like this one." So, it's pretty good. But, so I'll go ahead and start with Satie and >> Okay. Um, I'm Satie. I've been on the board for almost four years. I'm running again at a post, so hopefully eight years. Um, >> looking good. >> What do you need to know about West Shugle? We have a really strong volunteer booster following. Like the parents in this community are phenomenal. They love to be involved and I really think that's really important. Um, I decided to serve because I wanted to make more of a difference. See if I could help make a difference or see what I could do to be part of the difference. I suppose to make

004things better. Um, and today I would like to get out of since I've taken on president, I kind of want to know what everybody wants from me. We've talked about it before, but I think just getting it all out all together would be great for me. >> And that's good. So, this is a good reason to do that. So, the rest of you remember that. >> This is item. >> Okay. I'm Jim. Uh this is starting my seventh year on the board. Um one thing unique about Wugal is the fact that the Wugle school district is a skinny little district that goes from the city which has its culture and as I was uh reminded all the way up to the pretty rural part that has culture that doesn't identify with Washi City. Um that's

005a challenge I think. Um, but it's just a part of WashU and our time today would be well spent if we uh I guess I would like to come to some kind of a consensus on how we how we can use advisory boards from the community to effectively um move forward and effectively do some long range. >> Okay, cool. >> You're fine. We're just doing introductions and you know us already. >> So Jane, I've been on the board for just barely over a year running again in November, whenever that is. So >> yeah. Um, one thing you need to know about Wugal, I mean, I would I'm actually from up river and so I would also echo what Jim says. I came from a very rural school and then I have family that have gone

006to like like town schools and typically you're one or the other and I think it is a very unique dynamic with brushal it being both and also my sense coming into the community is while a lot of people are excited for change there's just as many people that are frustrated and want things to stay the same um and as a growing community I think that's something that we face regularly and then our time together today would be well spent if I would like to figure out a more effective effective way for us to communicate outside of actual meetings because with the rules it's like it feels like a game of telephone sometimes >> it's it's yeah >> I like it seems really annoying when you have to like individually talk to five different people or

007small little groups so just coming up with a better better way of doing that if there is one >> yep there there's kind of but yeah >> how far can I push the line that's what I would like how far can we push the line there So, we will be doing that today. So, yeah. >> So, follow three weeks on the book. >> Well, I don't know if to say congratulations or condolence, right? >> Right now, >> good, good, good, good. >> What do I need to know about? Well, I'm from Wash. I went through the school district here. I know the old town and I continue to meet new people in the town. We were talking about our kids going back to school and how like even if you left to school for a

008little while came back like it is a very welcoming community and so even though there is very disperate parts of it like there's kind of the new town which a lot of us oldtimes were still getting used to and then there's the old town which was the logging fishing kind of communities. Um but it seems like it integrates pretty well like you see a lot of people volunteering. Sometimes we have to do a little telephone train to get a few extra people on our volunteer stuff. But it's a very active which I think is a really good thing. Why I decided to serve because I love the town. I don't want to risk openings and I try I tried to take her but I live >> well this worked out well. >> Yeah. >> To

009get back and make a difference to >> school. Yeah. isn't how we spend our time together. Uh I'm learning anything you say is all the website, but that doesn't mean anything. I'd rather hear and speak from you and >> Yeah. >> Hi, Ida. I'm Patty. I did introductions a little bit earlier, but I was actually I've been on the council board for 14 years before the state board and I not too far from here anyway, but I think you can see what for introductions. So, I'm Ida obviously uh think been on the board not quite two years. Um I decided to serve. So, when the last elections happened, nobody else of their name and a friend of mine had contacted me about serving. So I knew her friend worked and she thought I would be

010good. Uh just knowing that personality I think there's also was also a lot of concern postcoid about getting a lot of extreme uh views in there. So um I thought that would be I was I guess interested enough to throw my name in there. Um, and let's see. I don't know what you need to know about Wugul. I feel like the natives probably have more fruitful things to say on that. I've lived here since 2018. Um, today I think um I don't know. I guess just understanding uh enforcing my knowledge of how boards are supposed to function a little bit better >> and we'll we'll kind of start out with that too. So I appreciate the the talking about the different culture. We uh we live in Kelso but we just bought a a cabin

011out of Battleground that we're going to make our primary home in a couple years and just we're not even really involved in community battleground and already it's it's a different like it's a different cult I like it a lot. I mean, it's but you just feel it's like, "Oh, they're both nice communities, but it's different." And you can just feel it. You just get it from going in the stores and meeting the people and and so it's it's really fun to go travel to different communities and just pick up on that community vibe. And uh yeah, anyway, so you can see the uh what we're going to do today. So, we'll do board rolls uh and then we're not going to get through all this today. I already told Erin this, but I I kept

012it there in case you guys were all move didn't talk then I was going to have more time but I'm hoping you guys are going to engage in discussion and we're probably going to be cutting it off uh right after operating protocol. So I want to introduce you to that to possible reviewing yours. So we'll probably do that but then we'll have time to get to board standards but I've got something for you afterwards I can give you. So the board roles mostly is the role of the board versus the superintendent. And I keep saying that it's not about teaching you guys what the role is, but understanding where you sit. And what I mean by that is I worked with a pretty large district not too long ago. And one of the board standards

013is, you know, solicit input from the public and, you know, be receptive to the public and engage with the public. and two board members there. One of them felt that this was uh everybody you meet in the local grocery store, you tell them everything you need to know, you get their food and it was like totally hands-on in the grocery store. And another one thought absolutely not. That was wrong and that defeated that because they felt it wasn't equitable because not everybody had access to board members. And so they felt that that was the opposite of being transparent with the public. So, two board members who both are well-intended and doing the right thing and trying to live by the same interpretation of it had very vast and different ways of interpreting that. And it's

014not that either of them needed to change, but what they needed to do as a board is set up some kind of boundaries and communications on how to handle it. And a lot of that ended up being around communications because when people are like out in the community a lot, one or two board members ended up getting information and the others don't. And that's an issue. And also just by the fact of the board, I was on the board for several years as the only person who had kids in school. Guess who got more a lot more information than the others did. And sometimes you'll have a board member who is a staff has a spouse or somebody or a kid and that again gets a lot more information and that can cause problems with

015other board members who are as willing to be engaged and want to be involved and they feel left out and it's just and sometimes uh like you don't need all the information because a lot of us just kids gossip but sometimes import important kernels get missed and then it can cause problems. And so how how do you stop that? and going back to OPMA. And so that's what I'm want to spend time for you guys to have chance to speak up and say, you know, I I look at it differently or you know, we did this one time and that didn't work for me. So have a chance to to speak up and do that. So my other question is I think I got probably won't do too much board share, but I've got a

016I got a presentation I can mail you for it can be helpful. But I do think that we're going to cover board roles and then the communication part outside of board meetings we're going to be covering under OPMA. Um, so we'll be covering that there. So that will be most of it and we're also going to do a little scenario game where I'm going to have you answer questions and then we'll look and talk. So we'll go ahead and do that. But is there anything else specifically that you can think of you'd like me to add on or if it comes to you during the time just speak up. So, uh, as I keep saying, a common foundation. And my point on this is you guys don't all have to agree. I hope you don't

017all agree. You don't have to think alike, but it's kind of like, uh, being on the baseball field. We at least need to decide on where the outfield line is. And so, we don't all have to stay in the same area, but we need to understand where others are. And also, when you understand where your peers are coming from, you don't have to agree, but you can understand that you might be going the same direction and your goal is the same. You're just approaching it differently. I had I bet you guys don't know. I had a board member who'd been on the board a long time. Actually, I'd been on the board for eight years and I was the baby on the board. >> So, I had a lot I learned a lot. I had

018a lot of experience, but we had a vote one day that was a 3-2 split and I honestly forget who where it was, but it was a 3-2 split and it was over, of course, sports. It was on Sunday practices. And afterwards, the next day, I had the board chair call me and he he calls me. He goes, "Carrie, I didn't understand why you voted that way last night." I'm going, "Uh-oh." And then he goes, "And then I figured if I didn't understand why you didn't why you voted that way, you probably didn't understand why I voted that way. And I just wanted to talk to you and see if you had any questions." And it's like, bingo. I was brand new on the board. I go, "That's it. Now I know how to work

019with my board peers." And I knew expectations. And he wasn't trying to change my mind. He was just wanted me to understand where he was coming from. And with that, that was awesome because now I knew we could have good debates and we could move on and know we were working together. So that's that's tonight hopefully. So this is the pretty the big slide that uh uh board rolls. This is we're the what and Eron's the how. And I've had I think this might be familiar, but I've had a friend tell me, "You can tell me what to do or you can tell me how to do it, but you can't tell me both." If you think about it, that's that's quite it's kind of profound. And when I think about it in terms of

020uh everybody up above us when a board member, whether it's OSPI or the state or the feds, and one of our biggest complaints is you you told us what to do. Now get out of the way and let us do it. Well, that's us now. Now you're the man. you tell him what to do and then you get out of the way and let him do it and if he figures out the how. Uh that means like if you say um raise third grade reading scores because we're worried about that. You don't say raise third grade reading scores by hiring more teachers and doing a new curriculum and bringing a citizen advice. You know, that's up to him. But he's going to be reporting back to you on how it's going. And that's where you

021get to use your most powerful tool. And that's the question. And it is the most powerful tool you have. And it's at that time that you ask him. So what was the process for this? Have you had any unintended consequences? When do you expect to see results? Was community involved? What is the response from the teachers union? Was you know all these sort of questions that are more broad range and high visionary sort of thing. And you check in that way. What's super important on the question is if three of you start asking and repeating the same question really quickly, he gets a message of what's important to the board. And that happened. I remember a long time ago we had a case where I was I was really concerned about uh student safety physical

022in the building. It ended up because my my husband was worked at a mill in the middle of the night. there had been a fire at a school and they called him because they couldn't get a hold of superintendent and they knew that they called him in the middle of night. He could go like, "Hey, here talk to them." And that's and so anyway, I'm like, "What?" Like I I'm going through the roof. Not that they called us, but that like we didn't have that. And and so I start asking questions appropriately like during facilities reports at the board meeting. And then it comes to another board member had the same sort of concerns. Superintendent Glennice. Yeah. She she picks this up real quick. And we ended up then updating our our plans were outdated

023with the community fire. So that was asking questions. I didn't tell her what to do. I didn't walk in and say, "Show me the plans." I didn't go to the school and start looking around. That wasn't my role. But it was asking questions. Because I needed to learn. Um I also think as we ask questions, ask questions before you ask them. Like why are you asking it? Are you trying to get information? Do you know the answer already? What are you going to do with the information? And who's the question for? A lot of times in board meetings, you'll see this all the time. We ask a question, he knows we know the answer. It's for the audience to clarify information. And so asking a question that you don't know the answer to or that

024you do know the answer to, that's fine sometimes if you're using it in a genuine and and collaborative way. But it is a pretty powerful tool you have and you need to use it appropriately as with any tool. So >> you are really good at Jim's great at doing that because he'll say I'm doing you know for people to hear because the answer isn't given. >> Well, we had a case once where and it ended up being that little gray area where I figured it out as a parent. So, my kids were in music and we're at the Music State and we go over there and you know when the kids go to playoffs and stuff in sports, they get a food allowance for their um food. Uh but that didn't happen when we were

025at music state and I'm going, "Excuse me, that's a WIA activity." So, superintendent knew where I was going with this and when the athletic director had their next report and he did too. I was not there's no this is no surprises. I'm not doing this. But it was a way to ask questions to bring it to the awareness of everybody. And guess what? this is a WIA sanctioned activity. The kids in music and drama should be getting food stipens if they go to postseason activities. And so, uh, but asking questions in a respectful, polite way is a way to to bring that up in a public setting, too. So, anyway, for, um, Paul more, we are really the highle what and the how, and then we're we're totally back off of the the operations of

026the staff. So, like you've heard it, 10,000 foot, 5,000 foot. So, it's not always that simple. Oopsie. My uh Whoops. My um graphics didn't come through, so I'm going to have to tell you. I don't know what happened there. So this should say goals and this should say policies and plans and this should say procedures and this should say operations and this should say uh generating reports and this should say evaluating reports. So um >> I moved it I went from there was a PowerPoint and I brought it to a Google doc or Google slide. So I can if you want to just >> No, no, that's fine. I can actually see plans right there. So I'm going to stand right here and say so so you have plans, policies, operations, goals, and then reports.

027So for example, if we have a policy, uh I'm sorry, I should back up. It's this cloudy gray area that is in between that we need to work with. We're up here and we set the goals of strategic plan and vision. We don't do it in isolation. We we we talk to this guy. We hired him with his expertise. So we do rely on that. And then when we get a policy say, I don't know about you, but I did not keep track of what every piece of legislation went through and what we have to do. Aaron brings it to us and we get the policy. It's our job only to pass it, but he's going to bring advice and recommendation. And sometimes we do alter them. I remember we altered one about EpiPen and

028where they were kept and stuff, but we had to check with the lawyer to make sure it was okay and all of that. And then after you have your policy, you've got your procedure, which again we don't approve, but the procedure is the how is how the policy is carried out. And he brings it back to the board to let you see the procedure. So he knows that it's carried out with the intention that you meant. And then when it's actually implemented and carried out in operations, that's you are hands off out of that one. And then you get your reports and you evaluate them. So, I'm going to give you an example of we a while ago got a uh report on this is a long time ago like 15 20 years ago we've

029been focusing on uh primary reading and we get a report and our math scores weren't too hot. So, we get the report we're evaluating the report and with the superintendent and we're thinking like we're concerned this isn't what do you think and she's like yeah no we don't think this is where we want to be. So we decide we're going to set a goal around this. We're the superintendent. We want to make this a priority and we do set uh we're going to set a mass strategic plan and uh the procedure for that was I was actually on the committee and we pulled together a committee of the teachers union representation community all of that and we go ahead and we make this committee and we have a plan to get new curriculum and new

030professional development. >> Can I ask a question about that? You say we put together a committee, it's the board or the superintendent put committee together with you. >> So it was a board sanctioned committee. Okay. >> So the board actually it's official arm of the board but that and that's a good question because some superintendent can call committees together but if there's a board member on it it was >> comes a board meeting. >> Yeah. or if the board is asked to sit on a committee, but this time we put it together with working with the superintendent. So, we go and we do all this and we get out there and guess what? The curriculum's a million dollars. We don't have the money for it. So, we jump back up and we go, is this

031still our goal? Yes. Is this still the plan? Yes. Are we going to alter it? We go back and ask staff and the decision was we want to stick with it. We've got to figure out a way to pay for it. We're going to wait a year. My point is on that is you're always in this circle. you're going back and forth and whether it's a little tiny policy uh it's you're in that realm and you're working with them the whole time not in isolation. So committees we are going to touch on a little bit later too. So anyway um expectations change over time. I mean we grow we change. Back in the beginning 25 I was like against all day kindergarten. I was like, "Uh-uh." Like, I have changed because life you you grow.

032And and as we change and circumstances change, uh, our own expectations can change. So, what we're going to do is I'm going to do this scenario game. Um, I'm going to give everybody a set of cards, including Aaron, and we're going to read out different scenarios, and I'll put up the rules here in a minute. And then you are going to decide what the role of the board is. It's a sliding scale and what the role of burnt tenant is. You're going to show it to me and then we'll turn around and we're going to kind of discuss um where you think um it should lie. So, uh that's what the cards are for. And I say there's there is truly no right answer. I don't know if there's no skit about you know there's

033no wrong answer. Just really wrong answer. No, there's really there is no wrong answer, but this is where we kind of decide like is it all the way or squishy and having some conversations. So, superintendent has complete authority is a superintendent has complete authority but must or work inform the board. superintendent must obtain prior approval from the board before taking action or the school board makes a final decision but may permit or request recommendations from the superintendent. So, think of it sliding scale all the way on his lap versus all the way on your lap. So, I'm going to start out with some easy ones. Um, who puts a school construction bond on the ballot? So A is superintendent, D is board. >> No. >> Well, but with him. >> So I say there's no

034right answers, but there's some legal answers. So uh he needs to hold up his D. It was D E D. So actually the superintendent will call and say we have a need to build a school. He can't put it on the ballot. You are the only ones who have the authority to do that. Same with levies. >> We may have the authority and we have no mechanism to do that. >> You probably don't have the background in history and the knowledge and the numbers either. But if you want to build a school, you're going to need some money and you need a bond. You're going to rely on him to bring forth all the information. But you are actually the he cannot do that. You are the elected people who can put it on the

035ballot. So um right >> I'm sorry. I'm sorry about that. I know. Okay. Um how about uh Okay. This is this is easy. promise. >> I don't believe that. >> Not feel bad if we terminate the superintendent's contract. >> Terminate the superintendent's contract. See that you guys is D. Yes, that one is easy. Okay, a little bit harder. >> We know that one, Aaron. Okay, a bit hard. Terminate a principal's contract. [Music] Okay. So, this time I actually I kind of disagree with Aaron actually. We've got B's and A's. So, a a principal is not your direct employee, but depending on your district and how small it is, Erin's probably not going to do it without talking and working with you. >> And so, he's the one who has the authority to do it. >>

036But especially like you're one high school town, right? >> Yeah. >> Think that anything. Yeah. Right. >> I was thinking more like the contract approval. You're right. It's Yeah. I was saying that the big they >> Yeah. So, but that's sort of thing that actually you don't because you oversee one you you you do approve the entire contract for the collective bargaining but not individual employees. really when they every when we hire and there's a the consent agenda >> and you you you approve the all the collective bargaining act the coaches contracts and all of that but you don't go through each individual like you don't get to handpick which teacher and which coach >> right >> what is the correct answer >> there are no right answers but >> it would be in the

037B area because it is his and the thing is if you were like I don't know in Seattle where you get 50 schools and there was a real innocuous situation where you know somebody was at the end of their probationary period and somebody and this superintendent could do it and probably just let them know and go on their way. Obviously in smaller communities it's much more visible and especially if it's a termination sometimes those bring up more difficulties. Okay. What about this? Should be easier. Sanction a board member for inappropriate behavior. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Can I do C? >> Yeah, you you can do I guess the C thing would come in is sometimes it's really awkward. the superintendent might come to the chair and say, "Uh, FYI, Bobb's out doing this." And that's

038really not okay, >> right? >> But, and this is something that doesn't should not happen. >> Bobby does. >> Okay. Okay. I'm going to do two now related to the budget which are a little bit more challenging. So this is where we have a conversation. So the first one would be to authorize a school principal to exceed the school's annual budget with funds to come from the district reserves. >> Will you say that one? >> Authorize a school principal to exceed the school's annual budget with funds to come from the district reserves. So yeah, it is going to be the superintendent needs to approve it because you don't authorize individual front, but if it's coming from the district reserves, >> so is it inform or seeks? Let's see. Well, and that so that is where

039you guys are working together a little bit. And so like this is one where right now he's like, "Hey, no, we've got a budget crisis here. If you want to do something like this, we want to know before you do it." >> Right. >> Versus, "Hey, everything's going smoothly. I trust them. Just let us know when stuff happens." >> Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Stuff like that. And so this is where something sometimes pops up right now where the Okay. So then the the other budget one is you shift funds in the annual district budget to accommodate uh onetoone student technology. So you're buying everybody a laptop and you're shifting funds in the district budget. So you're playing around with the district budget already established or is it the proposal for the new budget? >> No, it's

040already established. already established. >> So, we got you got C's and one B. And again, this is just going back to what we just had. It's going to depend on your communication with him. You're in charge of approving the budget. So if you're actually sifting there might you like you might have discretionary like it's okay for him to take up to $10,000 out but obviously onetoone technology is going to be a couple million that's a lot of money. So that is one that you might have a cap on that he can't do without your permission. >> Most districts have that kind of a policy. You know, every district I know I think it's law has to have a policy for what you keep in reserves, >> right? >> But I don't know about shifting between.

041>> Yeah. So, we have uh for seven years, 10 years, we've been moving $50,000 from our general fund to capital or turf. So, we have one turf field. And so when we bought a turfield years 20 years ago, 23 24 25 years ago then and then it needed to be replaced and we didn't have funds and we needed to then start fundraising and that didn't go real well. So then the decision was made. Every year we're going to take $50,000 and put it aside for the third month. So that's something that's every year that's the decision that's been made and then we do. But I guess it's an agreement. >> Yeah. But it keeps it comes it keeps coming up like why why why are we doing this but I don't know if it's that

042it's written necessarily is it written in so the board that one I think is the board has to do it to do the inner fund transfer and it's why it shows up on that one case in the the um board resolution put out the budget like it's a specific fraction of the >> but if you've already made that plan with him years ago. >> Yeah. >> Well, that would be no one here or he >> that's one of the complexities. >> Right. >> Yeah. people other people made an years ago >> which is >> and when it's presented to us it's the deadline we have to adopt the budget or we're out of compliance >> and this is coming back to communications >> authority that we have in doing that except to say no we're

043not going to adopt the budget this year >> or call it out >> when he brings the budget to you a reminder that we will be for when the new budget for every year comes a reminder that we will be taking the $50,000 and transferring out >> and would it be the superintendent this predates Aaron is the superintendent respons that out in the budget or just to >> has it's been done in our district here at 195 for next year >> I think you >> it's in here somewhere >> you probably have your finance director give a more thorough presentation >> okay >> yeah and that's the sort of thing again asking your questions too. Um, and I would think finance reports are hard. You get them once a month, right? >> Yeah. >> And

044sometimes you get a little MIGO. Do you my plays over on this? >> But that's the sort of thing that you that 50,000 once a year when it happens would be showing up. >> Yes. >> And that is the sort of thing that if you catch it, good. But that's something that Erin should probably be pointing out to you just in case you don't. >> Yeah, we do. I think I think it's a question of like it's in this in this scenario, right? We talked about if the principal over spend his building budget and want to spend more money like communicating that >> and there's a threshold like what is that number and we don't have an established number, right? >> But like Paul said was 5,000. I probably wouldn't say anything. I would say

045something to the principal. Yeah. And say, matter of fact, when I was the principal, uh I someone told me, hey, you know, I was I was you've over spent. >> So next year, you're not going to have that amount, >> right, >> that you overspent. So those conversations happen, but if it was 60,000 or if it was 40,000, then that probably would be because that's a pretty major >> either stretch on on what the investment's going to be >> from somewhere too, right? >> Yeah. Well, and if and if something that big happened too, there might be like there might be a bigger context behind it like why are you 50,000 short this year? I mean, was it, you know, a feeling collapse or did you just totally miss >> or or I I saw

046something that I wanted this was a part of an initiative and it's it's it's a it mean it's a wise investment. And that would be say look this is this is sometimes it happens like this is a right >> there's there's a need for something that we um rarely actually very often very seldom is it going to happen like I think like that >> we ended up in a situation where from my perspective suddenly we were >> our our reserves were depleted significantly >> and to my recollection the board wasn't involved in any decision making about that is that I missed so >> on super >> the board should have a policy and I don't know what it is on it's normally a percentage of your budget 6%. >> And so you normally have the

047reserve set at 6% of your budget. So when you say reserve depleted was it >> we went down to 2%. >> Okay then that >> right for the year >> that was the end of the year. Yeah. >> Okay. So then that is is that was related to tax time >> because we Okay. because we've also had if it goes below that you he should be letting you know because that'd be a violation of your own policy so you'd need to like and honestly you kind of what are you going to do say no I mean like yeah it's kind of a yeah yeah like what are you going to do that but it's so but since it is an outside of the realm of violation of the policy or you would have to talk

048about it that said uh April in October you'll see this right before you get your property tax income in. And so there sometimes if they dip down low there, that that's that's something that's normally not. Yeah, that's yeah, that's how it works. >> I'm talking about ending up at the end of the year at 2%. >> Policy said 6%. >> Somebody spent more than was in the budget. I think we had the budget at 6%. >> My concern would be that you didn't you didn't figure it out till the end of the year. >> I don't think we figured out till the next year. Oh, so that's the sort of thing is that you you'd be I would think it's going like this. It didn't come to November and do that. >> Well, and actually

049I think this is a really good example because >> it probably goes to >> who knew like who knew? >> Yeah. >> At what point did the superintendent and the financial director communicate >> right >> with >> uh other board members? Let's say I mean there's conversations but those conversations may be different. I this is like communication. Yeah, we're speculating, right? It doesn't matter. >> But that's why I think um us coming together, having these conversations and knowing if if that were the case and we knew because clearly every month we're we're we're tracking like now what we're doing you're seeing every month. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> And and how are we like how are we tracking on our goal of 6% excuse me our minimum of 6% and our goal of 8%. >>

050Yeah. So that was an adjustment last year that we made because we were in the situation. But I think back to um if if it's if it's that it's an alarming situation should be communicated individually like you know I'm making sure that the board if the board president knows that board president or >> communicates >> vice president or the the vice chair communicates with all the board members that this is what's this is what's happening >> and yes and no that also you need to be careful in terms of communicating that publicly too. So, you do we'll cover that a little bit, but this is a good example of why it's so important to have a good strong team >> because budgeting is I mean, it's funny. It's not black and white. >> There's a

051lot of squish and there's a lot of estimation and forecasting and the best your finance director and super can do. There's I don't even want to call them misses because miss makes it sound like they messed up, but it's it's not. I mean, >> yeah. And then in in our uh the document we're going to go over like or in and when we're talking about the board meeting like how is that communicated via email within email? There's there's a lot of information like the budget itself like the F195 there just like there's a lot of information that's contained in these documents, >> right? >> Um and back to what you said about like communicating and like what we're doing now is when we're like we're doing a presentation each month on our budget under tracking.

052So like I think we've mitigated like that. >> Yes. That that from happening. This also was happening during COVID when there were all sorts of challenges to >> un all these things that were um anyway and in a levy year. Uh so >> totally unable to predict and that's where I don't say just a good team but the trust so that when something pops up you trust nothing nefarious is going on because you trust that he's communicated to the best of his ability to you and there's no and that's the whole back to the no surprises thing >> because if it's a surprise to him it should be a surprise to you like if it's a surprise everybody should be surprised not just one >> and in terms of reserves I mean it's not a

053separate account. It's just a general fund. And so there is, it doesn't seem like there's any controls that the board has on spending it into that general fund beyond a policy that >> as we will maintain this reserve. >> And this is the end of the year. >> I I don't know, Paul, if you're going to go to the WASDA conferences yet. I haven't there they normally have like finance 101. super recommend you go to it and anybody else who wants to review it because >> it's school district budgeting is complex you know it's not like at home with your checkbook and the family income it's not the same thing and you are responsible for passing it and so understanding what the different funds are and like you know the the ASB fund which is

054like this much you actually have no control over but you still have to approve it but you do have control over, you know, capital funds, transportation, the res, you know, all of that. So, understanding that is >> well, and the challenge is for the board when contracts are approved, like when we're presenting a contract and the amount like that's the back to you, like the trust. >> Yeah. >> That the that the superintendent and the superintendent's team are managing all of these interactions and exchanges that are happening. >> Yeah. And I mean, I'm not I don't Are you the is he the finance director? Okay. >> Les is so Les Brown is a communications operations and technology. He's also doing a superintendent uh program. >> Oh, okay. >> So, he's here for in a variety

055of >> Okay. And he's been here really long. >> He's been here for nearly 30 years. >> Well, I was thinking >> we go over and we look over reason. I think that your your finance director is one that you should actually I think I probably had more questions on my finance director than my superintendent at board meetings and that's totally f and that is actually that's another thing which obviously you have to have a good relationships too. Some boards are pretty tight where no questions go to staff unless they go through the superintendent or through the chair. So again, this is where you need to understand and and well because sometimes people can get gotcha mode or something like that or sometimes uh the staff doesn't want to be put on the spot and

056other times it's being respectful like if I had questions for the finance director and I knew ahead of time I'd let him know because hey like give the guy a chance like he can be prepared. Yeah. >> Can we can we can I add to that? So just so you're aware like because at times uh so I've been I've been in variety of roles in the district over not as long as last but like 25 years in different roles and so now I know in this I I understand now in this role like why like it's important for me to know if a board member is is speaking to a a principal or a staff member. >> Are you talking in meetings or out? >> Out. >> Okay. Very much to what you just said

057like so they're aware. >> Yeah. so they're not caught off guard because it's it can be intimidating to have a board director reach out to you and so it's like the I think kind of like the the warm handoff or the hey I'd like to speak with >> the high school principal and I think say to you like there's times where you said hey I want I want to talk to this person >> because just so like I will or I'll be notified so and so wants to talk to me >> and so um like there's this level of some paranoia that can like whatever that and one and just like so is this that do I reach out and say hey what's up uh how can I help you I also don't want to

058be like a micro I don't want to micromanage the board >> so >> or I don't want my my team to be >> and there's added complexity because many of us are parents >> exactly >> I want to say I want to look about talk to him about one thing and I go in there about another >> I do a whole thing on being parent board members too I was thinking in meetings out of meetings this is something that definitely the board needs protocol around and some of the general practices are if you're a parent you're a parent and the staff should be used to that you're walking through the schools like they should be used to you coming in if you want to talk to staff in your school district like I my presentation

059have all these different hats your school board member hat that is something you should have heads up on and like if you wanted to you would put uh Satie on the CC like I have some concerns it's pretty rare that any individual would be needing need to talk to a staff member outside of it. But for an example, when I was F FRN chair at WASDA and I'm going back to DC, I needed a lot of data from special ed numbers because we're going to be presenting it to our legislators. That was something that was going to take time, but it was, I think, valid schoolboard work, got it cleared with the superintendent and Scott, our, you know, finance director, and that was something that kind of had permission to to work on. We also

060had something we had staff me board members kept asking staff or oh just you know how many teachers are absent on Monday? I mean just like in staff like and it was getting out of hand and so it ended up being if it was more than 10 minutes of staff time. No. No. Well, no. Because really if it's going to take more time than that it needs to be a directive of the board, not somebody on a whim doing something. That said, Hug gets a little pass for a few months because No, he really does with working with Satie and and Aaron, he needs to learn like he needs to go like visit schools and meet superintendent and like so that's that's a little different than what I'm talking about. >> I appreciate like that

061they get to be parents like there's context to like we all have different roles, responsibilities, and priorities. So they get to be parents and then what you were saying if but if you're a board member, if you're acting as a board member, that's different than acting as a parent. >> Yeah. So like as much as you can like separate that and but your point about in versus out meeting. So in meetings >> in meetings what I would do especially with finance is I would send like our finance director Scott I go hey I want to ask I'm going to ask about this or I want to know how much money we spent on pizza last year whatever I'd CC the board chair and the superintendent and I don't want them answering me in that. I

062actually want it in public for a couple reasons. one, if I have the question, maybe other people do, too. And at the very least, not public, the rest of the board members should have access to that information. So, having them give it just to me, I now have a kernel of information and knowledge and power that nobody else does. So, you want them to be answering that in a public setting. >> Scenario um that is is complicated for me. So, I'm a community member also. >> Yep. >> I happen to be out walking on the track when football practice happened to be going on. Some of the kids I trash talking the old grandpa walking the track. >> And my first inclination was go to that team meeting and talk to the team say, "What

063the are you guys doing?" Pardon my French. Um, but I didn't I went and talked to the coach afterwards. Is that appropriate as a community member? I think yes you should keep him also aware. We had a case where we had a challenge with a teacher and our stu my my youngest >> and that was a real challenge. So I I met with my superintendent first. >> How are we going to handle this? We got to go through the protocol like everybody else. But we all knew that the teacher was going to be looking at me very differently. Not just me but every other teacher in the school. We ended up deciding that my husband would handle it. >> But another thing when I say that uh you know you want to be a parent,

064you're gonna walk as a parent. >> Sometimes that doesn't really happen. >> I got frustrated with how many times that staff wouldn't let me be a parent. >> Yes. >> And and I had to be pretty blunt. I remember sitting at teacher conferences and I sit down one time and the teacher is like open in the high school and I go, "Oh, I'm so glad you're here." And I'm going, "Oh, great. You're going to tell me something nice?" No, they had questions for me and I and I said, you know, no, this is parent conference time. This is about my kid. I will be happy to come in and talk to you, but we're going to do it some other time. And so, you need to be firm include Aaron on that though, >> right?

065I mean, you do need to be firm about claiming your turf as a parent. >> That's a previous coordinator, facilitator gave us a very different point of view on that specific thing. She used a crown of thorns metaphor. You're on the board. You have crown of thorns. You can't take it off. There's nothing you can do as a board member to not be a board member. It's >> kind of what Mary said, too. >> My kid comes first. I love you. >> You can't take it off. You're always a board member and people are always going to view you as a board member, but you have a right to be a parent first. >> Yeah, that makes makes sense. >> Yeah, I like that. >> Yeah. And so yeah, like I and I kept I

066remember how much it changed and it's like I was like really like now you give me the time a day. No, I mean it was it was it was pretty bad sometimes. I remember like >> who are you? >> Yeah, but before it was like whatever. So >> okay, I'm going to go back to one uh again. Two more. >> Set mission, vision, and goals for the school district. >> Say that again. >> Set mi miss mission, vision, and goals. I mean, it's kind of hard, but yeah. >> Yeah. So, yeah. So, we we this is >> But you don't do it, the five of you, right? I just heard about what it's Well, it's all your whole stinking community, right? And guess who's going to be >> helping pay for the facilitator and organizing

067all the meetings and bringing the muffins and all of that? >> Revis but it is that's kind of our whole purpose is we're we're articulating the vision for the district. But again, it's not like the five of you just because you represent the voters doesn't mean you get to Well, you could, but it' be a bad call. Um >> get reelected. >> Yeah. So, okay, last one because I do want to move on, but this one is unique to you. And if you guys have another one, come up with establish a citizen advisory committee to recommend goals for the district. This is kind of >> okay. So, okay. Establish establish a citizen advisory committee >> to recommend goals for the district. >> Yeah, it is it is squish. So the thing is I I keep

068thinking of like different committees I've sat on as a board member like health committee, you know, a curriculum committee, all that sort of stuff. Usually the superintendent comes in and goes, I have a need for this. If it's going to be a committee of the board, then you guys are officially kind of pulling it together and then you work with him to discuss like who's going to be on it to make sure you have do you have union representation? Is it a community member? Is there going to be a citizen on the a board member or two, a student? Yes. and that sort of sort of thing that said that going into a little OPMA that committee if it's a committee of the board and especially if there's a board on it but the bigger

069thing is if the board has asked the committee to report back they are a branch of the board and so they they are subject to OPMA. >> Wow. >> That's good to know. >> Yeah. >> Say that one more time. So if this is a committee, so like if it's a committee that you are getting information from, you set a committee out even if a board member is not on it and you going to look at uh closing a school. >> Yep. >> Well, okay. You would have a board member on that one probably, but you're going to close a school. A board member is not on it, but they're going to bring a recommendation back to you. You don't have to follow it. I'm not saying you have to do what they say. Be

070careful if you don't, but that is a branch of the that's an arm of the board. So they are open to OPMA >> they're well shouldn't yeah they're meeting so let me read so school district should be mindful that if the board creates a community committee and gives that committee authority to make decisions on the board's behalf like making ideas about schools that committee's meetings are subject to OPMA >> but they're not making a decision they're making a recommendation the decision is the board than voting and saying yes, we like a decision is a decision. >> Yeah, >> I've had people recommend a lot of stuff to me that I said no to. >> That's the key word. I think >> whether the committee includes board members or not. For example, if a board delegates

071authority to a curriculum committee, >> you're delegating the authority. I don't take it. If they're coming back to you and still requiring the board to vote on it, then to me, we haven't delegated the authority. We've given you the authority to go get information, but not to make any decisions. private private meetings gain the information and then a public meeting >> to bring the recommendation that the board then makes the decision. >> Oh, so when they share the information with them >> that's how I >> it's on page four to actually make the call. >> That makes sense. That makes sense. >> That's how I read that. >> Yeah, then that's >> you agree with that. >> Yes. >> And so no and this changes if you have committee me uh board members on the

072committee too. Can we have alternating board members? Can we change Whoops. which one goes to which >> then you probably just violated OPMA because it's a serial meeting. Does do you know what I mean by that? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, uh that only two people can meet, right? You can that's not a violation. >> Two two board members and so we'll we'll >> and I are there and then I tags in the next time and that's the serial. You just had a serial meeting and you just violated OPMA question. >> How they make this really hard >> responsibilities and I've been wrestling with this. So our district I think like all districts never really has developed a long range plan in part because superintendents have a tenure of four years and board members have

073a tenure of four years. superintendent, who who's responsible for if a community like a Guugal wants to develop a 20 or 30-year plan, where does that fit in our A to >> So I going back to your your board standards. No, I mean like that's that's D. So the of our five Yeah. So communication and commitment to high expectations for student learning and this is long planning and that is you're not You're not doing it without Aaron, right? Yeah. But and Aaron could also be the one going, "Hey, we need a long vision plan, but long-term planning because uh Aaron might not be here for I don't know how long. What average?" >> Okay. I know. Yeah, that's what I always wanted to. But >> but in other districts, average tenure is what? Five years.

074>> Yeah. Average tenure is five. for board members, it's like three or four. So, none of you are going to see the realization of the strategic plan if it's a 12-year strategic plan or, you know, a a bond for a 30-year bond, right? You're not going to see the realization of that, >> right? >> My understanding is as elected officials, we are representing the community's interest that has that 20-year >> Yes. >> Yeah. the utility of a 20-year plan where no no superintendent let's say rare superintendent will have any vested interest in that one of yours now >> the big thing is though with when you call a committee together >> it needs to be done very transparently >> right >> and and publicly um even aside from OPMA if you had a committee that

075wasn't done publicly so the public didn't know like you were doing it at a board meeting, you're pulling it together and you have community members on it, that could look like you're loading it. And so the big thing is if you're going to have a committee, how do community members get on? Did you post it? Did you invite people? And like this is like there's a range of committees. Like if you're going to have a committee for the new playground at whatever Hansen Elementary, you know, that's one thing. But if this is we are going to change boundaries and you know committees change, you got a curriculum committee. Obviously, you're going to want a community member on there, but I think that the staff's going to have more expertise and knowledge and experience and you're

076going to be relying on them more heavily versus a boundary or school closure. there you're going to be wanting district knowhow and administration for demographics and data and have you the knowledge there but obviously the community is going to need to be a huge part of that and that is something that I think you would uh be careful about how you select those people so that it's just no no accusations could be made >> so are we going to move to OPM >> yeah we kind of already are. >> Yeah. So, yeah. I'm wondering real quick. So, we have some food. I just want to check with So, >> do you want to like grab it now and then eat it or do you or do you want to Yeah. Are you okay with that?

077>> Whatever. >> Do you mind if we >> Yeah. No, go ahead and do that. Yeah, that's good. >> We That way we can go a little bit past six o'clock. >> Yeah. Yeah. Fine. We're good. We're good. >> Yeah. So, why don't you go and uh help yourself and then >> Ida brought some bread and some uh bean salad. >> Thanks, Nice. So, >> do you have to go across the bridge today? >> Are you okay? >> How's the fish looking? >> In Columbia, >> we do um carnival and they do fundraiser. >> The principal's husband does the outfitting guides. >> Oh, nice. >> So, we always grab one and have a ship out. Yeah. >> Yeah. My friend's been Well, >> fish basically pay for itself almost, right? >> We just got our

078a cabin on the East Fork of the Lewis River. >> Oh, nice. >> And we didn't know this, but the record for the largest steel head in Washington was caught on that river back in like 1980. I actually >> but it's like 33 pounds. >> Yeah, I actually like steel head better than good. >> That's what I've >> It's good. I had cousins come over from California last week and I really wanted salmon and couldn't find it so we had steel head and they thought they were in heaven. >> Yes. But on the grill and >> Yeah. No, we grilled it. Y opening it in a different >> under a different name or whatever. But yeah, it's going to be coffee stove. >> Just found that out. I I found that out. What's today? I

079found out yesterday. Yeah, >> because my friend Laura's friends with her coffee. >> I know, right? I'm like, so how many days are we gonna be without coffee? Exactly. >> Laura said it's gonna be pretty coffee. >> Well, she copies closed. >> I just saw something about if school districts really wanted to raise money, they'd start selling triple lattes in the student pickup line after >> just yesterday actually when we were having coffee, she said that. She's like, "You want to know how we raise money in the schools CRD dropup line? have a little coffee shop right there. >> And then you could get be hosted hosted by students, you know, for teaching job skills. >> Yeah, I just saw I just saw it on our Facebook page at Kelso or whatever. They just started

080a vette program at our high school. >> Super excited. It looks like >> it looks really cool. for and there's some >> Oh, yeah. But in terms of getting the kids job ready and skills, I mean, we've had a some other great programs, >> but that was a new one and I thought, man, that's good. >> I've got um my wife does um she is senior director for Banfield >> and she was saying like to try and find vets or ventex is it's insane to try and get them around here. So, >> yeah, that's >> I know. I feel sorry for people that like trying to get into a new vet with a new pet. >> Nope. >> I figured we've always got to keep one alive because as long as you already there, then

081they'll let you bring in the new one you bring in. >> Here ours and Wharton started charging a $100 membership fee to continue to be a patient. Outside of any charges, you wanted to continue to have him as his vet. He paid an additional $100 a year. >> That's insanity. >> Uh you had enough clients. They're pretty good. I mean, he was a great bet. >> Well, what are you going to do too if you're in Morton? I mean, where else are you going to do? driving into Yakama. >> Exactly. >> I can't believe how expensive. >> I wish I would have been a vet tech instead of a dental assistant, >> right? >> Just in case after I touch them all. >> I know I probably won't use it, but All right. Thank you

082for the little pause. >> Thanks, I've been obsessed with red lately. >> I know about my son's baseball game starts at 7:30. So, if you got a lot of questions, >> thanks for the warning. >> Right there. He got a little run last night. >> Amazing. >> It was nice. He was so excited. >> And he's had a he's gotten too much in his head. It was literally not swinging the ball because >> what happened to Kaden? Well, he's in minors and I was like, "What are you doing?" He was like, "Well, if I hit the ball, there's like a chance they're going to throw me out. If I walk, I can steal >> my exactly what Kaden was doing." >> And I was like, "Dude, they're going to strike you out when they figure

083out you're not swinging." >> Well, it happened to my oldest because he was so much taller than the other kids. So, every time >> that kid never swung. So, like I'm like, "Buddy, you're not as tall as your buddy was. You got to swing." >> I think you probably seen that. >> Okay. playing golf ball a difference quickly. So, I'll make sure that >> Yeah. Okay. I I'm sure you've seen this. Um I don't like this one as much. The old one was like it was this big. It was a little >> I still have that. >> Oh my gosh. It is like mine is dogeared yellow inside out. This one I had it like in my pocket. I just I used it all the time. I keep going, you guys need to make the

084little small punches again. So, we're going to cover this. I just a couple things is um we'll do real quick. Consequences of violation. This is more for Paul. I should probably be down here. >> We all need this. >> I did all those. >> Oh, good. >> He's like, "Let me tell you guys all about >> So, um >> we have a not a school board, it's a city council in the area. You might have seen it in the news. who got accused of violating OPMA and uh it was a group of 40 who did it and went through text messages and found like 45 text messages that were out. So that means $500 for the first violation, $1,000 for everyone after that. Each single one was counted as a violation. This is being shried

085up. So and then they don't cover your attorney fees, right? if you're so then it's it's a mess because then they're trying to have the city and then anyway but the big thing on that is don't forget that any action you took at the meeting where the violation occurred is null and void. So which you can go back and redo it but the embarrassment factor and just so so if you do violate it um that that that is also an action of it. That said, um, we'll do exemp executive sessions at Do you know what exempt meetings are? That's an important one that I don't think board members are as familiar with. >> We've had them. >> Yeah. >> Exempt. >> When we say that we're going back >> discuss not not executive. >> Oh,

086>> we'll do executive in a second. Exempt. >> No. So an exempt meeting is one that doesn't need to be posted. It's like an executive session, but it doesn't need to be posted. So there's two meetings outside of executive that you don't need to post. One is an emergency meeting which is public and it can be called and it's normally like for disasters of like fires. We had flooding in our district and it was like Friday at 4:00. We called it so we could get the insurance in and we made a budgetary approval to hire somebody to clean up because it's a holiday weekend. You cannot call an emergency weekend because he wants to go on vacation next week. That doesn't like it's it's got to be a real emergency. So emergency meetings, those are

087public, but you can call them immediately. Exempt are like executive. They're private. They're I don't say off the books, but there's no minutes taken. There's and you don't have to post them. And there's two scenarios. One is quasi judicial actions of the board. >> What does that mean? >> When you act as a quasi judiciary board, you're making a decision like on a grievance of an employee or a lot of times discipline or graduation requirements for a student. So pretty rare. But the reason why you don't post it is if some districts have actually they have a they let students walk if they're not quite there. Like if they think they're going to graduate by September 1st, they'll let them walk. But that took an action of the board to let that happen. Well, if

088they do that, all the kids have to do is go sit outside the door when they know it's going to be and see who walks in and then they know who it is. So, it's a violation of furpa is why you don't do that to protect privacy. The other reason is for collective bargaining and they list all the reasons but anything to do with collective bargaining. So if you're discussing anything like that, you can meet in an exempt session and I've done that live through that as chair of a board during a teacher strike. And that is for uh I mean just be honest uh picketing and harassment and stuff that can go on. So those are the two reasons you can do exempt sessions. And the big thing is especially if it's uh I

089I urge you to use it if if it's appropriate. So, and that that you don't have to use executive for that. >> That such a mean >> you you superintendent says we're going to have or the board chair says >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> No, in fact, we got turned in and the newspaper called on us for it because you don't have We met at the superintendent's house and people saw us walk in there. I was going to say people will know most of our carers at this point. >> Yeah. And they will, but we were totally like it was totally legit above board and so but those are situations that that you can and I'd recommend you do >> we typically just like at 6 or 6:30 >> or Yeah. Just depends on >>

090So you do it ahead of time. You don't have the problem of people. Yeah. But now executive session. Okay. That is what you were talking about here. And I think that's cool, but it's out of date, you know. Um, that's I've never seen that in a board meeting. So, okay. So, I there's seven there's two that aren't on there. >> Do you know what the two are? >> One is my favorite. So, there's actually 17 reasons that but only nine pertain to school boards. And you've got them listed here. There's two that are not on here. one is my favorite one of all. >> What What are those? >> National security. Anyway, >> you can call an executive session for national security. >> Oh, okay. >> So, I just I just want to pause just

091for a moment. There's a lot of things in here that are outdated. That strategic plan is the two plans again. >> Maybe I need to bring >> that picture over there like those. We don't need to celebrate the instructional leadership framework anymore. So, Patty, there we So we're looking to do some they know it's coming off the wall. >> So well and there's only missing two things. One is national security and actually school district has used it if you're up on the border. There's been times where they've had to like but but the the one that's not up there that is pretty new is meet with legal counsel for data security breach and this came with some of the cyber attacks and the ransomware and stuff like that. So that is one of the reasons

092that >> and then the the acquisition of real estate and the considering of price of real estate and the publicly bid contract. The caveat is if held in public it could be detrimental which obviously it's that's always the case. So um and the point on this one is receive and evaluate complaints against an employee or board members. And what's important there is that the individual can request to have it held in public and that's happened to us too. And it's just let you know that just so you don't get caught off word or embarrassed when you say no no you have to let them if they if they want to. and then evaluations of qualifications of an applicant for public employment and this or is big or review the performance of a public employee because

093back in the day when there was things going on they'd meet for personnel reasons and that is not a reason to meet. So, say you're terminating the principal's contract and he wants to let you know about it obviously be done in executive session and I'm assuming that it might be for performance of a public employee and that would be the grounds for what you can meet. You cannot meet just because you're with your attorney. You have to have uh matters relating to enforcement or litigation. It has to be real. It can't be made up. But those are pretty straight and I'm know Erin can keep you. She's he's you're good on those. I know >> you know uh Corey who's been supporting the board the different superintendents and the board. Yeah. She's very helpful with

094uh our reasons. Yeah. So she's phenomenal. >> So you you put them up there just straight out of the book. You say what it is and put it on there. And then the other thing is you do need to put an end time on it and then you need to come back. And most the time if it's at the end of a meeting versus the beginning you'll say uh we're coming back at you know 8:35 only to adjourn so that people don't wait and think you're going to do board business. >> Yeah. >> So just be polite and considerate about that too. So the other thing that's important is no actions including straw polls and actions that's direct from the book is a discussion. >> Well then what are you doing in that meeting? >>

095I know. So you for an exempt meeting you can but for no for the the exempt meeting is is but for action I I should back up a little bit that is I that's for more communications so sorry for no actions I should have put final actions >> okay >> f so final actions and final actions is that is that's where a vote means a collective positive or negative decision or an actual vote. So um PO that the collective positive or negative that's the straw pole. So how do you hire a superintendent? Have you done this? Okay. So so I remember doing it and we're sitting here and we start listing a assets and strengths of the candidates and I know who I like want. So I start like writing all in pretty soon you

096can you can see and then I'd say like I'm ready to go make a motion. I'm going to go back in session. Anybody's going to figure out. But we did not take a vote. We did not say, "Oh, yeah. I agree." Didn't say anything like that. But you can you can kind of do that. So, >> but what you just said, the last part of the sentence, I'm ready to go make a motion. >> I have to go out in public in the open meeting to do the motion. >> Yeah. And the thing is, even if we didn't have the post-its up on the wall writing stuff down, I think if you're having a good healthy discussion, people are going to want to know that I'm going to want Clyde and not Jenny or whatever.

097You know, there's they'll figure that out. So, but >> I'd vote for Clyde just for the name. >> So, actions of the board and this goes on to Jane your question about communications uh outside of board meetings. So, um it is challenging and it is difficult and um I I've always said, you know, um being on a board and being in the public eye, it's kind of like you get difficult, awkward conversations that are fine, but they're not always fun to talk about. And I say it's kind of like um you got to put Nana in a nursing home right at home. And nobody nobody feels good about this, but like we got to do something. So, we're going to have a family discussion about this, but before that, we open up the front door,

098invite the whole neighborhood to come in and sit on the couch and watch us. And honestly, that's what I feel like it is being on a board sometimes. And it is even asking questions or I don't want to say challenging board members, but questioning board members, you know, like trying to understand it. It can be awkward and you don't want to be as direct, especially if you've got media in the room. Because anybody here been misqued or quoted out of context? My favorite was this is years ago. We were in Washington. We were in Boston with our kids on our big big family vacation and my husband comes back upstairs. He goes, "Congratulations, Patty." And I said, "What?" He goes, "You were quoted at last night's board meeting." I used to in the local paper

099give it to my kids and say, "Find three mistakes." And they could find them. So a lot of times media might not even be here and they will get their information about the board meeting and still write an article. So um talking at board meetings being careful and recognizing how things can be taken out of context but how do you communicate as a team? So there's two ways of talking about this. Is Aaron communicating with you? If you're communicating against the five of you, generally it needs to be done in a public setting. >> What? >> And announced, right? >> Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Public. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. So, and the the difference is um it has to be about business. So, you guys want to go to the baseball game tonight? All

100of you can go over there and all of you can sit together and all of you can have a great time. >> It's not a good idea though. >> No. Well, it it should be but you know actually I want to Isiqua had an issue that they were totally right and they were cleared but they were like at a many of the board members were at a public forum for candidates. It was during you know like September October and they went over there because it was you know county commissioner and stuff like that and went over the forum. Afterwards they walked back across the street and went out and had a glass of wine together. newspaper turned them in for violating rule PMA. They did not. They did nothing wrong. They were having a glass

101of wine together. It is. You can do that. Your kid graduates, invite them over to the graduation party. That is totally fine. Just don't talk about renewing the superintendent's contract next month when you're there. >> That's I think we tended to probably over interpret there. There was a levy kind of a levy passed and there was a little get together at one of the administrator's house and um three board members ended up coming as soon as the third came the first >> and I can see that I know in our levy committee we would only have like one board member on it but the celebration party afterwards like yeah you guys all want to celebrate >> celebrate together right? Yeah. And yeah, >> it's kind of gray area. >> I would say not that. I'd

102say before the levy. >> Yeah. >> When you're doing strategy and and then this remember this is administration's out, right? School can't do that. So like they might it's all on their own time if they're involved. But as board members that you you need to be careful with that that you're not doing business. So, uh, the bigger thing is I've gotten some like how do you talk to people before board meetings? So, I guess before I could even like talk through that with you is like why like why do you need to talk with people be between board meetings? If it's truly like uh what do you want pizza or hogies for dinner? Like okay, that's that's that's fine. But and you probably know this, you cannot reply back. So, for example, once um we

103were doing a budget cutting and I I say as chair and I sent out a like a meeting a message to the board, I want you to prioritize the things you want, send it back to the superintendent. The superintendent was then going to compile it and bring it back to us in a public session. There was one way you can get information. She can send information all she wants to you. Don't reply back. So I can send a message a blanket message say I need to get this information to everybody and just don't reply back. >> Don't reply back to her if it does. >> Yeah. And if if you have to only reply to her, don't hit reply all. >> And I So I had a I did that and then I had a

104board member with our attorney there claimed I violated OPMA. But she actually did it in reply all to us and said you just violated OPMA. And the irony was no, it wasn't me, it was you. Because as soon as you hit reply all, you can't have a conversation talking at the wall. You have to have somebody come back at you. >> Yeah. >> But the bigger thing is how much and why are you communicating between board meetings? A lot of is it just to get work done or is it to talk about pulling a committee together that needs to be in a public setting? when you give the example of a board you didn't agree two board members didn't agree and one reached out to the other to say I just want to talk about

105like that's that's a reason awesome >> show yeah gotcha okay >> yeah that's awesome and then where the the gray area is like if you two decided to talk about a vote coming up and you decided we're going to vote for it so technically that's only two of you that's not Cool. >> Right. >> I mean, that that violates the intent of the law. >> What her opinion is on it. Hey, what do you feel about this? >> Yeah. >> Or, you know, and you could also like she could call you and say, "I'm uncomfortable with upcoming vote. I don't think I have enough information. Can you please ask Aaron to get more information for it?" >> Or, no surprises, I'm not comfortable yet. I'm not ready to vote. >> Right. Okay. And then I

106go to Aaron and say, "Listen, this is happening. We need to postpone this." Blah blah blah. >> Or or no, see that I don't know if you'd want to. Yeah, I'd be careful on that. I mean, you making a decision. You need to let the rest of the board know that. So then again, Aaron, >> I need to go to the rest and say I didn't is it? >> No, can't do that. >> No, I'm not press individually. >> Yeah. No, but so let's So let's say you are you decide you are going to postpone the Okay. So who sets the agenda? Erin and you do and Jim. >> Okay. Sometimes >> so the two of you can make that decision. >> Okay. >> And then do you I'm assuming that you send out like

107a weekly notes like a Friday notes or something like that. >> That's in Yeah, I did too. That's I never did this the last two weeks. >> Okay. Oh, I did school start or something. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Yeah. Okay. That's something that then he could put in his update. Okay. >> Just FYI, uh, Sadi and I have pulled the the vote on the new school building off the agenda for this reason. >> Okay. Okay, that makes more sense. >> And then, uh, when you if it's within 24 hours, you need to get the new one up because the public would have to know that. But um >> if I communicate that uh I'm going to I'm going to pause on something and I reach out to each board member. >> You can Yeah, you

108can. >> In fact, he can. Yeah. >> You need to be careful because you're bordering on a serial meeting. >> Yeah. So, yeah. What happens though if so say that um I go to Aaron and say you know a board member wants to pause on this and then Aaron sends that out and board members want more information. Why are we pausing on this? That's a legitimate question. So who do they go to at that point? >> They should probably go to Aaron just Yeah. And if Aaron could say because we don't have enough information or we can discuss it at the board meeting or or something like that. Okay. >> So, one thing that's important is when are your Oh, your board meetings are on Tuesdays. I know that. Um, so if you decided to

109do this uh last Thursday night or Friday, you could post a revised agenda publicly and you're good. >> Sure. >> If you decided to do this yesterday, you can't change the agenda without you don't have 24 notice. So, you need to you could still postpone it, but you'd have to do it at the board meeting. >> Okay. So, at the board meeting, you could just start off at the minute like approve the agenda. We're actually going to pull this and just do it right there. >> You have provisions to the agenda. That would be what that used for. >> Yeah. >> We never use it. >> Yeah. We never do use that. We never have provisions. That makes sense though. >> Yeah. So, actually, um, a lot of times I do encourage people, this is

110more for Paul being new, you pass the consent consent agenda and it's huge. It is not uncommon for somebody to say, "I'd like to pull item G or item C or something like that." And that is often the case um because you might have a question. It could be a really in inname question. It's just like, "Hey, why did they spend $18,000 on pizza?" You know, like just like why? It could be something like that. I actually pulled one once because it was the accepting the retirement from teachers and there was somebody who had been there like for 40 years and I wanted to recognize them. So, we pulled it. We passed the consent agenda and I just said before we do this we just wanted to call out especially because they were going to

111be at the meeting and then we voted on it there and it was a way to make a little more because I don't know it's kind of rough in June when you accept these mass retirements. It's okay. You you can you can do that >> to ask questions or the other thing is conflict of interest. >> Like if you had a spouse member or a kid or you were part of something, you'd pull it for that and then you'd abstain from that vote. So pulling is not a big deal. >> Are you not supposed to ask questions? You can totally, but if you're going to get into something and it's on just one and you want to also, if it's a super quick question, ask it. Go for it. But if you think the question

112is going to instigate a dialogue, I just >> pull it, vote on it, and then you guys can focus on >> the context of that. Either way is correct. I'm looking at like efficiency of the meeting and moving it along. But the reason why it's a consent agenda is because generally there's not a lot of debate and it's pretty innocuous. But so this shouldn't be happening every meeting. But sometimes there there is is stuff and a lot of times if there you do have a question on it, it's something that you could have emailed him like the week before when you got the board pack. And >> so no surprises. >> Yeah. Like so you often don't get the agenda though, right? Oh, couple days before >> uh >> Thursday or Friday. Yeah, >> Friday

113by noon. >> Yeah, it's >> Friday. >> It's It's uh rough. I know. I think that's like number one board complaint. And I can vouch. They're working their high knees off to get all the information at the last minute and get it out there and they're like, I need more time. It's like I know. I Sunday night at midnight, me too. Reading it. >> Right. And we so we yeah we've there's been a request to as much as possible first board meeting of the month can you get us everything right that we're going to be making decisions on in two weeks but then to your point it doesn't go out till noon I think on on the next >> they've got stuff changing at the last minute it's hard I know and you have board

114meetings every two weeks. Yeah. >> So tomorrow morning he's planning the next board meeting already. I mean it's it's there. It's going fast. >> And a question about consent agendas just in general. >> What if you don't consent? What if one member doesn't consent? >> Then you have to do a vote you like you can and you you so you are voting on it like so if you don't consent >> don't you vote on the consent agenda? >> Yeah, we do. >> Okay. So say no. I'm just saying >> say no. Yeah. Yeah. That's fine. No. Vote no. Then the consent agenda passes. >> Okay. Yeah. So, um you along that lines, when do you need to take a roll call vote? And I this one you might have to help me out on this

115one. >> Not roll call is when they go through each of you and they don't you can't do a or >> hire the superintendent. >> That's a big one. and when we hire >> that's another one >> and usually >> the reflection of course be >> oh okay that's that's um that's good that's not required I don't think the other one is on officer elections usually >> when we do that that one there too >> and the fourth reason is when everybody calls wants it >> they can call for it and that is because somebody might want to go on the record as being in the no vote because otherwise like if it's a 4-1 or 32 motion passes and it's like I want roll call because I want on the record that I voted

116against it. >> Okay. >> Which you can do. >> Yeah. >> So trying to reach consensus. >> Yeah. No, and it is good. And there's been some times where we've had a couple things we had to vote, we had to pass, which to me is like it was federally related. I'm going, why are we voting on this? This is stupid. Like, we have to do it. And so, a couple of us voted no because we had to pass it, but we voted no because it was the whole context of it. It's like it was something to do with some federal program and it was like like that takes away the whole point of of an independent board. >> Yeah. >> So, communication still communicating between board members. You can always phone call is great. Just

117remember that as you know text messages and you guys do all have emails from the districts. That's that's a must or I I think it is a must today and to make sure you you do that. Um and then you can always do phone calls but your text messages are open for freedom of public request too. I've I didn't I think I only had one at Freedom Public Request record as a board member, but then I had several on the state board and it's a pain. >> Yeah, >> it's they're not fun. >> Yeah. >> If I have a Google doc >> that I share with everybody but nobody comments on, we're fine. Or no, >> what do you mean? Like if I have a document where >> I don't know >> just for example

118where I have like some thoughts written down or a plan or anything and I share it but they can't comment. There's no commenting back. It's okay. >> Yeah. But I'd be still careful with that because you're doing you're uh you should still be considering doing that in a public setting. But if it's because I guess my thing is like I we want to be transparent but there's also times where you want to kind of flesh out your thoughts and get other people's perspective before you're ready to be like >> this is what I'm thinking. Right. >> So and a good thing is if it's big like if it's big like you guys are talking about a levy or the district plan or something do a work session because and it doesn't have to be big.

119It could be a half hour work session. It could be an hour before your board meeting. And if that if you really have thoughts and you want to hear from other people, >> work sessions are open public. >> They're open to the public. Who comes? >> Yeah, we're usual. >> Uh that's about it. >> Yep, that's it. Yeah. No, that's what I meant. It's right here. >> So maybe we could >> Do they still have to be like broadcast and recorded as well? >> I don't know about the broadcasting recording. That's your choice. I think that the board meetings need to be, but I'm not double. >> So we have >> check on that one. really similar where the board takes final action. Um so just like the recording is the like my suggestion for

120this is to record it so that we're in the habit of just doing it consistently and so that there's not like recording recording recording nothing there >> right >> and then have people assume that something has happened. >> Yeah. in that. Yeah, >> you don't have to. >> That's been one that WASDA trainers have actually um because it got hot a little while ago and there was some WASA trainers like I'm not doing if it is recorded because they've become a target. >> Yeah, true. >> And had like people contacting them and so there Yeah. So, but I like your practice of just being consistent and transparent. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So, um so good way for that. So, you have to have a public hearing for your um budget in July, right? How long

121is that? Like ours is like I swear 15 minutes. I mean, it's >> we have the last meeting of August. >> Yeah. And it's that that's separate than the board meeting. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. Curing. >> Well, I know. But it's it's actually separate than the board meeting and it's it was like 15 minutes. >> Yes. So you could do a workshop too for an hour or a half hour if you really do want to think out loud with your partners and you don't want to do it in a board meeting. >> I'm sorry miss that. Say it one more time. >> If you really want to think out loud and have discussions and actually you can do that with the board in a work. You could do it in your regular meeting. There's

122nothing wrong with that. But if you don't if for efficiencyy's sake if you want to kind of keep the board the regular meetings is kind of more structured >> business do that and keep work sessions for this sort of collaborative thinking out loud working together. >> Yeah. I think where I come from is a lot of that like when you're brainstorming you're tossing out a lot of different ideas and when it's public and people are hearing it they latch on to the one thing that scares them. >> And that was totally not like you're just brainstorming. And so then instead of being able to speak freely, you're holding back because and that's the part that frustrates >> I totally get it. That whole thing about making a decision on Nana in front of the neighborhood.

123Um yeah, it's it's it's very hard and I and especially if you have public you have any examples of functional organizations that work this way other than >> Oh, you mean Congress? >> They don't. do that. >> Are you just comparing to the private sector level? >> No, I mean >> there's a lot of discussion before there's anything to vote on even and having to it just is really awkward. I'm just perspective to to have these brainstorming sessions with the press listening in waiting for that mis spoke spoken phrase that ends up in the paper. >> So there was a few years ago there was a move at the legislature. Erin, help me out with this one. Or it was about doing something with our executive sessions where you they were supposed to take minutes

124that then would be like >> public, >> not public. They would be be they would be like they would be recorded, but they wouldn't be made public, but you needed to take minutes or something like that. It didn't go down. And the big fight against it was if you do that, you're just going to push conversations into hallways and parking lots. So if we really want to live by the transparency in the sunshet law, sun sunshine law then >> yeah but sometimes I mean reality of in the workplace outside of this workplace those hallway conversations are critical. They are >> developing a consensus or >> fleshing out some wild idea before you're sitting here talking to the press. >> I I 100% agree with you. It's cumbersome doing it this way. >> We do the

125strategic plan >> because that was a committee appointed by Aaron. >> Okay. >> Right. Because if Aaron appointed the committee >> doesn't have to be public even though board member said on it. >> Yeah. They couldn't make a decision. They can make the right. >> Yeah. that one. I I think we need to check on that with legal because you've got you got two board members on it and that you're going to be bringing back even those board members are bringing back information to the board. I I I think that that would be cons. We just >> participating members of the board. >> Yeah. Like we brought community members, we brought students. Okay. >> So, I'm a community member who's up north, right? I'm out in the And I just found out you've got this

126committee meeting. >> I didn't know about it. I would have liked >> it. We didn't count. >> So, we announced the entire world. >> Yeah. Let me know if you're interested. And 20 people didn't respond. >> So, it's public. It is public. Okay. Okay. It's public then. >> Okay. So then your question >> when you guys met, did anybody walk in or was it the people after the committee had been identified? Like could anybody walk into the third meeting or was it that committee? >> Yeah, anybody. Yeah, anybody could walk in. >> But we really have a bunch of people show up. Yeah. But >> yeah. >> So how could we do that for what you guys want to do? Like how can we structure >> Well, if you have a community member on the

127committee, it's going to be public, >> right? So just keep that in mind. >> That's kind >> right. But like we don't have to publish it and record it, etc. >> Yeah. And that's where I would check with legal counsel because I do think that when you've got two board members on it and you are talking about um like they might not be making a final recommendation, but they're bringing back they're going to be giving information to you as a board. the board would have taken a vote off of the information and a recommendation that they're bringing you. To me, that's the work of the board. >> So, our neighbor to the west, I believe, they have a number of advisory teams. >> Yeah. >> Uh finance, I think there's a finance one. I think

128there's a legislative advisory group. So, are those So, I guess I got to figure out is are those recorded meetings? Are those uh they are recorded? No. I'm wondering like >> I'm on the district I'm on Kelso's uh advisory budget committee >> and those are not recorded >> and on it uh yes there are two actually. >> So how is that different than what we're talking about? Well, the question is, do you need to post it? >> Well, I'm fine with post. Okay. It's just the like recording it and broadcasting it and having because again like it's >> We don't record ours. We don't record them requirement when the board is the final. >> Yeah. So, you don't need to record it. No. No. >> Yeah. It's post that it's Yeah, >> it's a meeting.

129>> And is this retreat? Is this an open public meeting? >> Yes. >> Yep. >> Yeah. Anybody can come into this and as a public member if I wanted to I should be able to find out I don't know by through your website like when is the committee meeting would I sit in if I wanted okay then then that's fine >> yeah that's kind of what >> it's just sound bites out >> right >> know >> that's as with anything the one phrase that was said offhand by somebody one time and that becomes the >> headline must be dealing with Right. >> Handy, how we doing? >> So, we had good discussion happening. >> Yeah. >> So, I think we kind of did emails, committees, parking lot. Yeah, we uh I think we've kind of

130gotten a bit of that. >> Board events. Can you go back? So, board events. >> Okay. Board events. I'm thinking of like WASDA regional meetings or the like WAZDA con conference, annual conference, stuff like that. >> We also have listening tours that that happen. We have >> Okay, those are scheduled. I was thinking a lot of times we get questions about can the board go to Wazda and no to WASDA conference and could they could you meet with me there and could we have a workshop? Yes, you'd have to post it, but you can so that you don't like you couldn't obviously be taking votes and passing budgets and stuff like that, but a lot of times boards do use their time at conference together to have like a couple hours together because you're all

131there. >> Yep. >> And all you have to do is post it. >> Yes. >> Which we do. >> Okay. Or you guys are just going to go out for dinner because it's the one time a year you can all go out to dinner together. You're not posting that. you're going out to dinner and you go to Wazda regional meeting and you want him to drive in the Washugal van. Fine, you can drive together and you can talk about the football team, but not about non-renewing the contract of the coach. So, that's what I meant by board events, but you meant board events like when you hold public listing posts and things like that and those obviously would be posted and everything. So >> so generally the board doesn't the chair and the superintendent might

132but as a board you pro you you you the board communicates at a board meeting or in a public setting >> and so would you recommend we don't communicate with each other outside of those public meetings? I mean about what >> about school business schools or >> I I guess I need a little more example. >> Let's say that I have an idea for something and Jim and I go for a walk and we want to discuss this idea and it's related to >> that's great. You two okay leave it between the two of you. >> Yeah. >> Yep. >> But he can't go turn around and talk about that then. >> No. And then just in the uh effort of being transparent, you should probably Do you have a board report out time at

133your board meeting? >> Yeah. pretty loud. >> Yep. Jim and I are going for a walk. We had this idea. What do you think, >> Eron? That makes sense. >> Yeah. Just be careful that if you've got people sitting out here with microphones with this that they're going to go, "Well, Jane and Jim have created a committee and they've decided just I mean, so just just be aware. You can't control how people misquote you, but just be aware. But there's absolutely no reason. I remember I wanted to do a book study with my board once and I kind of ran that by another board member. It's like I was thinking, what do you think? Could we do a book study together? And we we talked about that before I then brought it to the board.

134>> That was your >> Yeah. Because I was having a conversation with one person. Yeah. So I don't know. It's it's it's cumbersome. >> I do. >> Yeah. So um I think you guys have your operating principles there. >> Did you get those there for him? >> You know what? Let me put those out. >> Okay. Well, I >> just really bring >> yours are yours are >> they so they received them electronically, but we just let me make >> Okay, so the the point on on this one since we're wrapping up here real quick was um just to check back in because we had a lot of discussion and I see a lot of you are are sitting in the same seating area so that's that's good. But uh well the operating are these

135I think you call them principles. They're also pro protocol and somebody else had them something else another p I forget what it was. Anyway uh they are basically mutually agreed upon rules on how you operate. These are not RCWs. They're not the OPMA. They they are just how you guys agree. Um, so a lot of times people will put a little bit more about the role of the chair in like the chair will be the spokesperson or if the board member has a complaint they'll go to the chair and then you know or you know things like that to re-emphasize. I had one that I was just working with it was Chila and theirs are pretty new and what I liked about theirs was that under each section and I could we could even bring

136them up. They reference the policy number of this the area they were talking about. >> And yours are um are the policies numbers right there. And as I was telling Aaron, they are they're fine for you. They're they're pretty succinct. And that was basically what I was going to ask with you today. I've got an example of a onepage uh operating protocol. In fact, if you want to open >> Yeah, I got to read >> my email. Yeah. >> Open up the one from Pullman. >> Um and then we've got some I've got some that are like 15 pages. And what I the point of today was since I knew we'd be talking about communications and your communications and your operating protocol were basically uh I guess the values of communicating being honest, respectful, leaning

137into it and that's all great. and then also um communicating with the community on complaints. So that was a little more structured and I didn't know if you guys might want to do a little more structured in terms of communicating like if there's questions before board members we will communicate with the superintendent or the chair will represent just totally up to you but after today I thought it might be good to do a little bit of a a dive into your operism pulsive protocol >> and so we don't have a whole lot of time next. So, I'm going to go over what I would recommend. Normally, what I do is I bring in like a bunch of examples, like eight or 10 of them, and I have you guys I'd give them like I give

138you three minutes, read switch, read, switch, and I'd have you go through and we'd spend you'd read them, and you get pretty quick an idea of like, oo, I like that. I think I'd like to include it in ours. Or like, whoa. Like, I've got one that somebody goes, I know they wrote this when they were having problems. I'm going, yeah, you're right. They did write this for they are having problems. But we go through and then as a group kind of talk about it for a little bit and you kind of come out like I really like this or I'd like to have a section on uh respect put in there or community complaints or I want to put all of our policy references in there and then get two of you maybe to

139come and rewrite them like okay I heard everything. let's do a new draft of it and Ida and Sadi sit down and write them and then at a board meeting and bring them back and go here's what we think we got it all incorporated into it because it is hard to group write a document with five people but if you could sit down and and talk about it a little bit >> so um >> yeah policy know how that is but yeah >> I don't know I got my box right >> it would be valuable to see some others Okay. Even if we don't do it in real time tonight. >> And so I don't know, Erin, if you could open up just I've got a couple that if you could screen share from the

140email I sent you. >> Yep. >> Open up the one from Pullman. >> And I feel like these are all public, but I'm not picking on people. I'm giving you different examples. >> Um and then I and then >> has a sample. >> I've got like we've got like dozens of them. And you can normally go to a website and and and find them. Yeah. In fact, one side note, this little um chart that you have on the front of yours, the the how that is super common um on a lot of operating principles. And one thing I suggest to folks sometimes in consider putting that on your board page because uh while you understand what your role is, OB often the community does not quite understand. And so we've had on our board page

141some boards have put up the role of your school board. Like this is what your school board does. They don't pick out the next mascot, you know, like this this is what they do. and they they kind of put this up on here to help the community understand >> what what it is. And so and since that's right already in your operating principles, >> it would be very nice and actually making the operating principles a link to it >> was a is another good thing so the community can see that you guys are a collaborative team and that you work together. So this one was uh if you want we can go through this. So this was Chila and you can so the first page is just what you have here and then they have

142a little section on board meetings and it's things from making sure there's no surprises and making sure you prepare for the board meeting. to keep on going down and then in executive sessions. Now, this is all in the law. So, some of this could also be for the community as much as for board members because I think everybody knows this already, but again, they actually cite the RCW on that one, too. So, and then they go through and the communications between board and staff. Keep going down. There's um one next top of the next page. Stop pair. This was really unique. I've never seen anything like this. Working with district staff about our own shelter. >> I like that. >> So that's the sort of thing that just help and that's the sort of thing

143that actually helps like Jim who doesn't have kids in the district. I'm assuming maybe don't understand why they get special treatment, you know, like I mean it's I don't that's not a problem here, but it it it helps board members who maybe don't have kids in the district understand it's a different situation when you are a parent. >> Yeah. >> So there's this sort of thing that's very unique. Haven't seen it a lot but kind of like it. So, and then um board and community interaction again they have the policy there and that is also good. You got 1500 policies I swear right and you don't know them all but if you can remember a few policy numbers. >> I really like that reference to that policy. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. No, that's good

144because then when you're talking with somebody you can do it and they spelled out like this was theirs how to do it. So you can keep on going down. It's because there's a few more pages here. Board conduct, that's more of a value sort of thing. Board authority. Again, sometimes this is needed because uh uh remember the bo the superintendent only reacts to the whole board. And a lot of times when people are in the district a lot or spouses in the district, they see stuff boots on the ground and they think we need to address this. And they keep running over here to like, oh, you need to dress this and our superintendent was really good at this. She go, so is that a request of, you know, board member Smith or is the

145entire board want me to do that? And it's like, no, we don't want you wasting time on that, >> right? >> So that that was kind of helpful on that, too. So, and then again that's you know no surprises sort of thing but >> and then the other thing is which I think you already do is uh you can go on down to the bottom >> is it's not signed. I thought this was one of them that >> Oh yeah, we sign it. >> Yes. Yeah. >> Yeah. And so um again this one I haven't seen this in many but that looks like it might have been needed for that district. >> Sure. >> If you can find the one that was Pullman. Yep. >> So, we don't I know we don't have time to

146dig into tonight, but I'm just trying to show you a little bit of why you might want to to do it. And it's always good to review them annually or whenever you get a new board member as a way for to introduce them to Paul and for the other four of you just to remember like, oh yeah, this was here or you know what, we had this incident last year with the public at that one meeting. I think I'd like to address this because these are not just for you. It's a huge message to the public about how you're working together. And it's also I view it as it's exemplar meaning you're setting an example for the respect that you give to each other and working together to not just the public but to your

147staff like how do we respectfully disagree with each other and work together. >> So this this one here the whole thing this is it there's meetings decision making planning morale that's it we're done. That's it. So, my point on that is to show that it's unique to you. And if that works for Pullman, that works for Pullman. Nobody's gonna like you don't Yeah. [Music] >> Exactly. I mean, yeah, the French teacher helped him. But >> but so I know it's 1 minute to six. I couldn't even get through as much. I want to give you guys a chance to go. But um yeah, so for next steps, I can follow up. I can give Aaron some more um examples. >> I've been on it for six years. These are the only ones I've ever seen.

148>> I think it's time. Yeah. And it's just time. Like I said, told Aaron today that you have three options. You go, "Oh, I like them." And you leave them be. Or you go, "Ah, just let's add one or two things." or out of here. We're doing new ones. Any of those three are are fine decisions because you've had a discussion and you thought about it and you talked about it. So the point is wasn't Eisenhower said plans are worthless but planning is everything >> and that's that's kind of the point here having the discussion and reviewing it. Do you want to sign it? Do you want to review it? Is there something missing? And like the same thing when I said who are you asking the question for? It's not just for you. It's

149for the public. And so then making that some place that maybe they can on the board page that they can then see it. >> Yeah. >> So um yeah, I was going to go like do they work and are you using them as intended policy? Those are some questions. Aaron has this um uh PowerPoint which I did not obviously go through the whole thing and I was we were going to go I don't think there's a whole lot here but did the what does the board need from the superintendent to be successful and what does the superintendent need from the board and each other and you guys are already like smooth sailing but it's it's good you won't be if we don't do this you won't if you don't continue to do this. And so

150having a check in where you're intentional, Aaron, like how's it going? Like and back and forth. So, but let me get you out by six. Sorry. >> Yeah, we're okay. I yeah if if you can stay a few more minutes if there's any questions that you have >> or how uh a couple minutes to do the board uh operating principles. What I would suggest is I'll get Aaron some more copies and then either at a little halfhour workshop, here's a good example of communications. You could send out if I don't send too many to them ahead of time and you guys can look at them ahead of time to save time in the meeting. And you could say, "Be prepared. We've got six different examples. Be prepared. Look at those ahead of time so we

151don't waste time at the meeting." And then when you come together, it could be even a halfhour meeting before board. You could like this is what I want to include, whatever I want to include. And two of you agree, okay, we'll take a shot at writing it and we're going to take notes and suggestions from people and then at the next board meeting you could bring back a a draft and then at that point you could then maybe spend more time hashing through it. But that's a one way that works for doing it if you don't want to go dig into like a a workshop and all hands up and ones. >> I like that. Yeah, I've already looked. I'm like, "Oh, I already saw something that we took off." So, >> yeah. >> So,

152you will provide me >> I gave you half and I'll give you more. Yeah. Great. >> And I Yeah, I will give you some more and um I'll try to find some. And if you if you hear of one or if you have friend like look at the neighboring districts, go look up campus, go look up Vancouver, look at the ones right around you and see what they do because you can also learn from that too. >> And I've had some people go beyond that too. Like if you're with a company or organization, they have values and virtues and those are often our organization values are sometimes similar to operating protocol. So if you find something there that you really like too. But yeah. >> Okay. >> And just a little clarification. The work session

153is essentially like a business meeting but you don't business >> uh you don't take final action. >> Take final action. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> So you're not taking you're not votes. It's it's you're you're learning. It's educational. You're discussing. You're brainstorming but you're not fully on anything. >> Okay. >> So >> postco we went to this system we're using now which is one session a month >> and one board month. >> Is that >> that's totally Yeah. Actually I I remember Yakima their work session used to be at 7 a.m. on Friday morning. It's like whoa. Yeah it worked for them. But uh so those are posted. Those are regular those are regular and posted. So it's great. So technically if you wanted to you could put an agenda item on vote on it

154but you you don't I mean you should yeah >> and we have we have before when we've uh because we had some contracting with some some cattle projects and so we've done that multiple times in the spring because like we had to >> we had to so just don't make it a common practice but we did too. I mean, you have to sometimes >> and it's the same thing like changing the agenda and putting something on and voting that's not on there, right? >> You can don't make it the superintendent's contract, but you can and you do you get last minute resignations or hiring or whatever. >> Yeah. So, and that's just if you don't if you do that once in a blue moon, >> awesome. Because it is legal, but >> so I appreciate

155you sharing that like the work sessions like that. Yeah. Districts do it a variety of ways and so this is just how we do it that it's uh the same time as a Tuesday but not all boards do it that way. >> No, we did two regular meetings and some boards I've known at their work session. They actually have like a little consent agenda because of the same thing. They don't want to wait a whole month but it's not like it's not really a it's just a consent agenda. So it's >> vouchers and stuff like that. So you could do that too. Yeah. And just >> if and that's something like Aaron, do you need that like for account main purposes? So for the business office, would this be helpful? >> Wouldn't you then have

156to have a public comment period for it because you're taking action on the representative? >> I don't Well, you know what? I was going to say no, but I think they have changed the law on that. >> Yeah, >> you might have to. But what five minutes? You didn't have to. You used to do that when I was on the board. You did not have to take public comment. It was an option. >> But other than on It wasn't the consent agenda, though. I don't know. You might be right. It was on action items. You Yeah, but I don't know about the consent agenda. >> So So Patty has said to me she's she can be available if uh we desire to have uh her return. >> Uh well, you'll be in November. You'll be

157in Seattle at the >> Yeah, I will. I can meet with you there, too. >> Okay. >> Yep. I've done that with boards too because it's like easier for me just to like sit down and like join you for lunch or whatever there too. >> Thank you so much. Does anybody else have any questions that we missed or anything? >> Sorry, that's just I guess. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> So, um Erin, did you give Paul there was a like you're new to the board big document from WADA? >> Uh not yet. >> Okay. Do you have it or do you know what I'm talking about? >> Um I I do not have it. I think I would I would I'll check with Corey. >> Okay. There is a pretty good >> Okay. They might have

158had something like that. >> Okay. They had a like this is the board standards. I don't know if you got that too. >> I have like a big binder but >> they have one. It's like being a new board member and it's just kind of like boardsman 101. It I still think it's pretty helpful. So, if you can like >> it is we'll check I'll check with her tomorrow and we'll see if that's >> that one document I just found super helpful and just [Music] >> right there I think when I walked in. Yeah. >> Okay. >> I will get more by 9:30. >> Okay. I'll get some more ops to you. Yeah. And I think I think that'd be good. Just >> this like I said the the act of conversation around it. Not

159it was Glenn. So when I came on it was Gay was gone >> and then and then uh then Glennice came on >> and then uh Glenn was >> he was not there too long. We had him. >> Yeah. Yeah. No was in charge of >> one other book on the team. We're just developics. That's what I'm learning. It's fun because >> Oh god. >> She's like, "We're holding the buses." >> Oh, Jesus. We're supposed to have left like five minutes ago and they were holding the buses. What do you want me to do? We drew all of them. Oh my god. I got to see him on the front. Oh, to >> anyway. tell you that's different. We had the opposite where my kids are always parent >> and I would his friends >>

160but no and I must have missed the communication of like before school starts you need to let them school know that they're parent pickup because >> we just had to have a standing like they're all they've always been parent and teacher trouble >> she kept telling me I had to go to the bus and I said no I know right just kept arguing with and I just sat down but she's I just sat down. I knew where I was supposed to be. So, I just packed down and waited till >> I have a meeting with her teacher on Friday because we didn't get to meet before school. And I'm sure >> Well, I did I'm glad I said nothing. >> I mean, dude, she we are now raising raising people and the next 10 years

161pay off. But >> there's days like this. It just so happens to be >> Hi, how are you? >> Good. >> Did you get a little too? >> I think we're just mingling. >> I'm like, respect your opponent steals that seat. You're sitting on something. >> Where'd you learn that? >> I think the Eagles Cowboys game. >> Oh, yeah. >> Thank you very much. Thank you. Garbage >> wanted to cut some of the questions. I like I said check will discuss that and then >> hopeful but >> we want the public involved. baseball. Well, and I was I thought that like the pros were like, >> but there's a lot of regular >> and that's that's where you really have anical that Yeah, because >> so personally and it's not >> being blindsided is never

162We're going to stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> All right. First up, we have our board and superintendent update. >> Yes. So, typically you've started with uh the far left. >> Yeah. >> If you want, >> but you can also start >> taking turn. >> Yes. Well, you're not still drinking from the fire hose over here, but definitely love our little session earlier on learning a lot more about what's on my mind. obviously just start first. We get back in school and now we're in our second kind of whole week, but a couple things that I wouldn't mind having a discussion about and seeing over there, but there's been

163some changes in like electronics policies. So, obviously the cell phones and then headphones and earbuds, which I think we're doing a pretty good job of of that. But the one question that that I had was you there's recently a change in some of the junior highs about the Chromebooks and the ability for students to take them home. >> Yeah. >> So there's this whole kind of check in and checkout position and not really a uh statement or anything more of a question of like how how do we feel that's going so far? I know it's only been a little bit of time but like students liking it, the teachers liking it. Is check in checkout working? Are we getting all the batteries charged? Are we losing learning opportunities by not having access as people move

164to a very electronic heavy kind of instructional? So, just kind of an open question. >> Okay. Um, same with everyone else here, right? Back to school weeks. Uh, my kids are incredibly excited. I've also been excited. I've already been able to meet one-on-one with one of their teachers and the other's been really available. Uh, I will say already this year I've seen a shift of um more proactive communication coming home. So like my kiddos teachers are sending home a little sheet that's got their test scores that they did in class and where they had successes and where maybe they struggled and that's new. I haven't seen it before. Um, and as a parent who's expressed like wanting that transparency, it really goes a long way and so it was nice to see. >> That's awesome.

165Jim, >> I'm just excited to see kids back in school. All the pocket ps around are open for community members again. That's a joke. Um uh and I don't really have anything that I have something I'd like to revisit on the agenda at some point in in our budget adoption. I don't know if this is the right place to to put that out. Um, but I would like to see us amend our budget adoption policy to include the budget hearing the first meeting of August. That gives us two weeks before we actually vote to adopt the budget. And the last several years, it's kind of come to us at the last meeting of August with the September 1st deadline. And I think it would be valuable to have those couple of weeks to to actually

166get through it and consider it and get questions answered before the deadline. But >> that's it. >> All right. Thanks, J. Ida. >> Um I think the only thing I'll note, so I I did read an article today that national test scores have been released and it's the lowest math scores I want to say on record. >> Yeah. Uh so nationally uh we're just as a country not doing very well. Um so I think as we start the year I have renewed focus on um how Wugu is doing and how we might stand out from that trend and what we can do to sort of support that. Um but yeah wasn't wasn't really a great thing to read. >> Um I saw that too and that's that's scary. >> Yeah, >> that's scary. So definitely

167want to see what we can do the community and the board and work with teachers and whatnot to see what we can do. Yeah. Start a start a trend. Um I just want to say I'm excited about this year. I this is my first year that I have a child in high school and I love along the communication line all of the teachers that I'm being copied with with information that goes through to my son and then also to me. Um I'm a very involved parent obviously and so it's really cool to see how um much information the parents are still getting and keeping us updated. So sounds like it's off to a good gear. >> Great. Thank you. All right. So just a couple thoughts before I go to the items I had identified.

168So the cell phone expectations and yeah the the I think next level those expectations have been communicated. So, I appreciate you bringing that up. And then the Chromebook check-in, checkout, and then we have Chromebook cards in the middle school. So, thanks for bringing that up. And we'll we'll discuss that and um I'll follow up with our principles. Um we certainly can find out uh as you pointed out, it's pretty early, >> but but now, I mean, we're into our second week. Let's we'll see. Um you know, and give you some context to the decision. and um we now have these Chromebook carts which didn't before have and so I just kind of follow with more information and then and then how's it going? So, thank you for bringing that up. I'm glad to hear that

169there's you're you're noticing uh this this communication that's happening and um there this transparency that that's you're it's proactive communication. So, thanks for mentioning that. uh the the budget adoption. So that came up I think at our uh the last two board meetings I think we talked about or certainly the last one. So definitely she at least and I have talked about that and making sure that you have information sooner to make that decision. Uh so definitely we'll we'll plan on that for this next year. >> Okay. Definitely. >> Can I can I add one more thing? Sorry to interrupt you. Um, it would also be valuable to have that the the big picture budget items presented in thousands rather than to the penny because the I mean just in terms of presenting information if

170a if a page is full of numbers only a few of which are significant the significant ones get kind of lost in the in the all those digits. >> Yeah, we'll follow up with I think it's a big enough organization that at our level some of us might care about each penny, but thousands there's is a good kind of pace level. >> Gotcha. Okay. Thank you. And then as far as the the test scores, state test scores, national test scores, uh we will certainly be having more conversations about that. >> Okay. So I have a few items. I don't have a presentation for you. So I'm just going to share with you what I've identified. So when we think about uh we the strategic plan and the process that we followed and we've talked a

171lot about that and less and I were part of several meetings with with staff with students with community members booster groups and what we heard um and we developed our plan based off the feedback that we received. We've also made some adjustments. So uh a couple adjustments that I just want to point out. So, we now have a 6 counselor, school counselor at Canyon Creek, which we did not have uh last year going into this year. Uh we made that adjustment. Actually, we made that adjustment in August. Uh so, feel good about that decision to invest in a 6 cents. That's a point 6 uh 6 being 6 of versus a 1.0, which would be 5 days a week uh during school hours. uh regular contracts. This is point6. So it's a portion of that.

172Uh this person is there in the mornings and then leaves Kenny Creek and is a is a point4 science teacher at the high school. So here's where we have a person who's uh in two buildings that transitions every day uh is 1.0 on a full-time contract. Uh and the beauty of that is we're not paying benefits for two people. >> Um this person's able to to do this. It it is a challenging schedule. Uh we're thrilled that we have this situation. I at least I am. I'm glad that we have a point 6 school counselor and then we have point4 at science at the high school. So it and and it works uh meets the expectations the CVA the collective bargaining agreement. So that's all good. Uh we added a mental health therapist at jumpard.

173So that's a individual that's that's on contract with ESD12. uh this is a relatively new position for them. >> Is it full-time? >> It's it's full-time. Yeah. So, and full-time for this uh position, a classified position is is not the same as a full-time certificated individual, but what when the kids are there and this individual, it's it's four days a week >> and so it's Monday through Thursday. And and so I've already heard Mr. Cook talking about how this individual has supported individual students. in this individual will have a case load of of students and there's a recommended case load and so working directly with the the team there which will be the counselor the building administrators uh Seymour counselor so and establishing um the case load this individual can also do small groups um

174can also interact with you know the entire student body at different times so looking forward to seeing the impact of that that position the person doing it we have a6 dean of students at Columbia River Gorge so one of the things we heard about behavior and supporting student behavior is uh you know uh how do we increase that support and so our largest elementary school has a6 dean of students and that individual also has a point4 uh case load or case load um it's not a full-time case load but for uh resource so a resource program later on this year we will present to you information about our special education programs and give you some a bit context to what are all of the programs that we have here in in our buildings as well

175as uh if we support students uh in other uh parts of the state of Washington or even off uh out of the state. So uh K we provide some context to that in future presentation. >> So what is a dean of students? >> Great. So so a dean of students is and there's a job description specifically to uh this certificate position. So it's certificated. So it's not a classified individual and this individual is supporting student behavior and so working closely with the principal working closely with the counselor and supporting uh student behavior and so um probably I can provide some context uh in a future meeting on how that's going and probably even share with you like what that job description looks like but the main purpose of the dean of students is to support

176uh individual students uh in some cases could do also small groups And so helping support uh classroom teachers with with student behavior. Anything else you want to add to that? >> We structured it with the principal uh to not be like a a person that's walking through the hallway just kind of like monitoring. They're set up in a classroom. There's structure that students know that they can go there for breaks, for instruction, for support. >> Um there's identified student that they're working with. So, less of like a call for an emergency, more of a proactive approach to providing an additional level of uh based support behavior in the building with a dedicated person. >> And that's different than what has been done, >> right? So, what we have at our other three elementary schools, we

177have a student support uh and um health room assistant. So, health room and student support a classified position that is uh based out of the main office but then supports the students when there's a variety of ways that they get notified. >> And then we also have at the high school two security staff members who are as Connor was describing u moving around the high school and encouraging students to find their way to classrooms if they're not in classrooms. So we those are like that's there's three examples of of supporting student behavior. We also uh you know our administrators as well support student behavior our counselors in in various ways support. So um so I I'm looking forward to seeing the impact of those positions and those investments in supporting students and supporting staff. We've

178added a first grade dual language. So if you remember two years ago we made a decision to not add a kindergarten with dual language. So we paused based on our financial a. So uh this year going to this year we decided we we we surveyed families uh or posted a survey to see who was interested. And so in a similar way with dual language and we had some families say first grade uh more families said kindergarten. We felt like we could add a kindergarten based on the the interest, based on the numbers, but didn't feel like we could add two. It's also challenging with dual language because it's a different level of certification. So, there aren't as many dual language teachers as there are ELA and elementary teachers that are certified. So, um we were

179going to add a kindergarten, meaning we had a pause. We that pause continued with first grade. There were some families that were very frustrated with that decision. And so it just so happened that we had a staff member who was dual language certified had been our teacher was a was taking leave uh that leave didn't need to happen in essence. So rescended that leave. So we had an opportunity. So we uh then again reached out to families and and made a decision to add first grade. So we've added not only kindergarten but a first grade. So when you think about the impact of that decision two years ago when we made it because of our financial situation and now in essence restoring the dual language program that we have a commitment to and we're investing

180in. So uh I feel really good about that decision because now uh the following year we'll add a fifth grade and then that will in essence be K through five a dual language program. We'll also need to then be working on what happens in the middle school and what happens in the high school. >> Yeah. or not. I mean, isn't part of the goal of this to to help our English learners be confident in their English language skills? They can join the the rest of >> as well as well as having uh individuals participate through this and and yeah, be bilingual, >> right? >> Yeah. I mean I I guess for me a a K5 dual language is a is a very different thing than than thinking about extending that for another seven years and

181the cost of >> Yeah. So yeah, certainly that yeah that decision and us and us looking and analyzing the situation and thinking long term >> uh something that that we've talked about quite a bit is like how do we plan for uh long term and so what would that look like? So, >> and do we have any data about how effective our dual language program is in getting our English learners up to speed? >> Well, just to clarify that the dual language program is spoken by literacy, right? So, being fluent in two languages, >> our multilingual support program, which is separate, is around getting students um uh proficient in English, right? And so, that's tied to uh their reader scores. And so that's what we kind of like assess if a student has a a

182different language than English that's spoken at home um their language language proficiency in English and then we track that um score as we're providing English language support but a student in the dual language program could also receive multilingual multilingual support from a e specialist. >> Yes. And I guess did aren't most of those Spanish take Spanish speakers in the dual language as well as the support or are they just thrown in the regular classroom, English classroom and >> it's parent choice, isn't it? My understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that most of the kids in the dual language program are actually primarily English speaking at home >> that their parents have chosen to put them in the Spanish immersion so that they be they become so you've actually got the majority are English

183speaking. kind of trying to find a balance, right, between families that want their students to be biliterate and also we have um Spanish speaking families that the benefit to receiving their child receiving education in Spanish primarily and those students are also models of Spanish uh fluency to the students that are learning Spanish. No, I that's where I've seen it work great where there's >> Spanish speaking kids in the in the dual language program, >> but we still have the problem of our English language learners doing more poorly on their test scores, which indicates they're not necessarily getting up to speed to be competing with their classmates that were English speakaking from from the start. Anyway, that's >> Yeah. So we yes we continue to look at disagregate our data and and uh search for ways

184to to better support all of our students and and as as Connor mentioned we have uh students who who qualify for uh lang uh language support. >> Yeah. And we have funds that provide uh you know staffing for that and as well as other curriculum choices. So, um I guess back to the uh the big idea is is dual language and uh the decision uh was was helpful when I when I could speak to families that were most impacted by that decision, right? The the the the impact of making that decision two years ago on families who have a student in who's maybe a third grade or fourth grade dual language class and and now and a kindergartener. And so very challenging for a family. >> Yeah. >> Uh last one is and we're working

185on is we have three split or combination classrooms. So we have a four or five uh at god we're looking at and and splitting that based on the enrollment. And so we don't know necessarily until school starts whether what those numbers are going to look like. So we have large numbers at gauze. And so we're looking at um that four or five combo and can we make a different decision? >> Okay. So separating them. >> Separating it and then having Yeah. two two fourth grades and two fifth grades versus a fourth grade of fifth grade. And then >> is that the only school right now that we have split? >> No, we have we have three total splits. >> Okay. >> And that's Yeah. So there's um CRG is gauze and then >> two at

186right now >> and one at CRG. Okay. >> Yeah. >> And then our enrollment. That's good though because that means we have more enrollment. >> It is. So that that is that is a that is a great Yeah. Just a great situation to have. >> Yes. And so us being able to make that decision um at this point uh and and not waiting too much longer but knowing after a week that those you know the students are uh consistently >> going to be there and are the rosters are set. So how did not sorry to go but yeah did that how did that work last year having the dual >> mean to have a combo class. Yeah. So I I think you know um how did it go? So we did >> we had some

187as the year started we had more uh at the beginning than at the end because we >> we we looked at our our K3 enhancement dollars and we realized we were going to be losing dollars. So we we'd undid a couple of those, but I think the ones that remained um I think we we're fine. >> Yeah. I think that they is it is um with this particular situation at Gau. It's a combination of the the split class is really large and so by contract we're supposed to have that split class be lower numbers than what's the the set number of the cap >> and then the other two were quite large. So that's why uh the the circumstances have to be such that like in this case it was it was all three of

188them are very large and we have large and each then if someone's in overload they can have a classified staff member support so para which then we're incurring expenses with with that staff member >> when we say large or what numbers are we talking roughly >> I think was uh was it combo like 26 where it should be much closer to like 23. >> Yeah. Yeah. Four over the the cap. >> Yeah. Okay. And then the last thing is our enrollment has come in higher than we projected. We still have declining enrollment but similar to last year it's higher than we uh thought it was going to be. So we're we feel good about that. And so that the you know you know uh what's what's the cause? What's happening? Is it in our how

189we predict uh these numbers as we're as we're rolling students forward? The kindergarten continues to be the the most challen the challenging classes to to determine what's going to be the number. Um so again we feel good about being over about 63 FTE alert at this point. uh our TK students uh so they we we believe we have 80 students so four TK 20 in each one of those so uh if if they uh they come back is tomorrow they start Friday >> TK the 12th >> 22nd okay so the 22nd we'll be starting to count our our TK will be in in class so looking forward to uh them arriving kindergarten students and yeah so that's uh that that's good news as far as enrollment Yeah. >> All right. Is that it for everybody?

190>> Yeah, I think our air has stopped. Ask Julie if she could just check. >> We need to start doing the nod. All right. Um, next up we've got executive responsibility one, which is the global executive. >> Yes. >> Yeah. So, uh you received this uh I believe uh in in the board packet. So this particular um ER, so it's our first ERS and is Paul and I had had a chance to talk about executive responsibilities and they don't uh they aren't organized numerically and and how we um >> present them. Uh but it's so this particular one is how um how I communicate with the board. Uh it's about the the image of the district, our practices and and and credibility with our community. And so, uh, you know, interesting how our our two

191hours with, you know, uh, Patty sharing with us the roles and responsibilities and then we spent a lot of time talking about communication and so how I communicate with the board and let you know through uh, board meetings and and my opportunity to share with you what's going on through email communication, through phone calls, through a weekly communication. um just making sure that you are updated with what is happening uh that there aren't surprises for you. Um and then uh I think it works both ways that if you have a situation you want to communicate with me and let me know um whether it's a concern or complaint that that um we have a process that we follow. any questions or or thoughts about >> I really appreciate the organizational chart part of that because

192that's really helpful for us to see kind of I feel like because you guys have gotten pretty slim down here so it's kind of good to see who does what and who is under who and all that kind of stuff. So I appreciate that. >> Yes. Yeah. So is there any questions about the Yeah. the executive team and how we are organized? So just um yeah, so myself, we have two executive directors, Les and Connor, and then Shaliss and Corey attends those meetings and we meet uh every Monday and usually to to to set up the week. And so, um, I appreciate their involvement. And just as we just as you've you've, uh, taken advantage of, of Connor's location here like it's really important that, uh, they attend majority of these meetings when there are

193there questions or additional contexts that are needed. It's helpful and I rely on them heavily, uh, at board meetings as well as uh, in the responsibles they have. So, no questions about how we're set up with the executive responsibilities. or with this particular chart. No. Okay. So, that will be available on our website so anyone in the world can see uh how we're how we're organized. >> Yes. Pretty slim. All right. Next up, we've got our executive responsibility two, which is our emergency superintendent succession. >> Right. So if there would be a situation where I am not available and so uh the way we have it organized is less brown will be in in the role >> and so um we've identified the action plan that exists if that were to be the case and

194so um I have a lot of confidence in Les. He's he's not only has he been here a long time, but he's been a part of the the leadership team at district office for uh I it's 15 years >> probably. Yeah. >> He's like, "Let's not talk." >> Yeah. For a long time. So, uh and that knowing the the the inner workings of of the district, the the relationship he he has with our labor partners, uh with the clearly the executive team and and majority of staff. So, uh, it it seems like, uh, clearly that he's the one, uh, to be in that role if I'm not available. So, any questions about that? Okay. >> Will that be on the site, too? So, that way people if they have questions about who does what type

195of a thing, too? >> Um, so the on our website will be Yeah. each person's uh responsibilities. I don't know that we'll reference uh if if I'm out of these. Yeah, >> but it has their information. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Yep. And then go ahead. >> Oh, just on, you know, the chart with all the duties. Um >> as um Satie mentioned, it is getting released. So, I guess I just wanted to point out, I know we always get public feedback that we, you know, shouldn't fund the administration, you know, but there are repercussions for that. I feel like there's only three people now on your executive team. >> Yeah. >> And the list of duties, it's insane. I don't know how you're not bald, but I just uh it seems like that's great. >>

196I'm a lot closer than they are. >> So, thank you for bringing that up. >> But also, it also, I'm assuming, is pushing things out to the >> uh principal It is. Yeah. Yeah. So, let me just address that really quickly. So, yeah. When we look at the the executive team and how it's arranged and we're still in the process of working through um as Shalise in her role and and Shalice saying, you know, I there's some other things that I can I can accept and take on as far as in this in this capacity. So, we are still working through this. Not that it's this uh document that's that's ever changing and very dynamic, but we are still working through to the your point when someone leaves the organization that's in a leadership role

197or any role like establishing like what exactly were all those things that they were doing. We're in the process of looking at essential functions really for all of our positions and and determining who's responsible for those uh those things uh that that are certainly required and then you prioritize from there. So we're in the process of of completing that um and updating um this particular document. But there is one example where we on Mondays when the executive team meets and after that we have personnel meeting and there's a number of us that are there because less supports uh the the classified staff in in a way where he works directly with that leadership team. Conor works with our certificate staff. um I'm identified as certificate and classified staff services, but then part of that is

198me overseeing the their roles. Um and so we also want to be careful not to have too much overlap in those responsibilities uh because it's not efficient. I appreciate what you're saying also like at what point right um are we not able to manage and that's why we will I'll be communicating with you. We'll get to that point. We'll we meet frequently and with the district office staff which is similar. we've reduced our district office staff. So, making sure we're communicating and we're doing the same thing I just shared regarding these essential functions and who's responsible for these compliance pieces and the work that needs to get done with all the positions here at district office. We're also doing it within our buildings. We sat down numerous times with our building administrators and said because

199we're reducing staff support staff at district office, you may be picking up some of these responsibilities. So in the spring we worked directly with them to say here are some of the responsibilities that we're we're thinking and it it doesn't happen overnight where that you just identify because within each responsibility there's there's context. So what does that mean? What's the time commitment? How am I going to be able to do that? So we're now working through some of those decisions with our building administrators who have taken on additional duties which are identified in uh the next sheet which is how the leadership team is organized. So compared this year to last year there'll be some additional responsibilities for building administrators and and they were aware of that in the spring. We've been working through that.

200We talked more in August about that and we are open to again uh having more conversation if we realize that's not manageable. Does that know you were just making a statement you weren't asking a question but >> well I was kind of interested in understanding like at what point you just you can't do it anymore. >> Yeah. But you know and to your point is like we heard the the feedback. We've seen it in survey results consistently. So we have clearly made adjustments not only across the entire system but spec also >> also in this in this building in the leadership team. So the >> and Tracy's role was not replaced. >> Tracy's new role was not replaced. That's correct. So yeah, Connor picked up a large part of the the teaching and learning. So

201educational services is really what he's saying. >> Yeah. >> And then the organizational chart of the leadership team is also going to be identified on our website. So people have any questions. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Or if we're asked. I just Good. Yep. You're asked. Exactly. >> We have somewhere to go. Yep. >> Thank you. All right, next up. Is that it for that? Sorry, guys. All right. Um, next up, we've got the 202526 board and superintendent goals, review and discussion. >> Yes. So, if you were to look at last year's goals, >> the the board identified we had guiding pillars, identified effective instruction, differential resources. So two of the six and then consistently I think the decision was to choose two to focus on. I think maybe one year was three. The last two

202years I think it's been two of these cutting pillars. And then the interim superintendent's goals those standards are connected to uh my evaluation. So I um have a handout I want to share with you just as like as a draft to look at. I know I'm I'm springing this on you right now. uh we can look this over, have some discussion about goals and then uh look to maybe make some edits to this. >> The goal of adopting it the next meeting is I think >> that would be the idea, but it's not it's not necessary not necessary. We don't necessarily have to do that. >> So, um just a reminder, we we have a new strategic plan. I've identified that the the vision and the mission of our strategic plan and then those strategic

203plan goals I think are important as I'd shared previously. We are in a process of on our website updating the metrics that we've identified providing more context to the one pager that we have and then also each year what are we going to do? So, we we are still in the process of looking at like what are we doing this year as far as this first year and really the implementation of of this six-year strategic plan, >> right? >> So, I think it's always important to keep those three goals identified and and and visible for us. Then getting into the school board's goals and this is where thinking these are these are your goals, right? So, I just uh thought, well, thinking about what you might be interested in doing, but also knowing that you're

204going to you're going to let me know what you want to do. So, the idea of implementing the strategic plan. I think that's important that we look at and what this does not include is like what are those phases of implementing of a six-year plan. So that you know maybe that one of your feedback could could be like maybe we need to introduce what does that look like as we implement this like what is our role and responsibility as the board in implementing. >> Yeah. So, so that's goal one. And then a part of the strategic plan again are these metrics that we've identified under each goal and presenting in the ENS report the result each year in those specific areas data points we've identified and if there's a point where you want to see

205more information or different data that's something that we can we can incorporate. Then the second goal is this this idea of these of these work groups, these advisory groups that we've that we talked about a little bit earlier today like what what are those uh work groups look like? Uh what was expressed at the last board meeting? Like what specifically if we have a work group, what exactly is that work group going to be doing? What's the purpose of that work group? Who's on that work group? How did we settle on who's participating? Is it open? Is it open to anyone who wants to participate? Are we are we posting those as meetings that anyone can attend? >> Yeah. >> So, it's not an exclusive group. It's an inclusive group. But what is the what's

206the purpose of that meeting? And so, the scope of that work with with bumpers established for for these groups. And there's a number of work groups that we've we've kind of kicked around and I think we're going to discuss later on in this meeting like and and that doesn't mean that um just because I've identified a few in this that's all of them and I know that other districts have advisory groups and we heard about one at Kelso that that meets on a regular basis and advises the board and the superintendent. And then if you flip it over are are my goals. And I I want to continue to have my goals be connected to my the my my framework. That's a it's a WASDA frame. And so, you know, the timing of this uh

207this could be something that we move into that's closer to my evaluation which is done in in June. And so it's not, you know, in September that we're talking about these goals that maybe it's closer to the when the evaluation is done. And then uh it's soon after that's established like what are the goals for next year which would really help me in in planning like throughout the summer what I'm working on. But I've been thinking about like what do I want to focus on? Uh what feedback have I received not only from you but also um each one of the our labor partners and individuals that I that share with me their feedback whether I ask for it or not. So sometimes I get unsolicited feedback and then sometimes I ask for please tell

208me uh >> how are we doing? >> Okay. >> Like number five aggressive. >> Yes. Yeah. You know what we when we've talked about and you know we've talked consistently about our math scores. We've talked about not seeing growth in all areas, isolated growth with different grade levels, different buildings. We talked about ICAP. We talked specifically about ICAP and we want to see improvement, enhancement with the experiences that our students who who are qualify for ICAP, maybe increasing the number of students that are in ICAP. So yeah, there's there's um some work that needs to be done like based on what I'm hearing from you areas that you're focusing on and I know that you're you're hearing it from individuals that you're representing. >> Yeah. >> And we also heard through our strategic planning meetings

209areas that we can improve on and prioritize. I know we've discussed it in the past and the importance of PLC's, but just as a parent who has to every Wednesday completely redo my schedule. >> Um there is an impact to that and I don't know what that costbenefit breakdown is, but we're we're putting the onus on every single parent in this district at time. And I don't know how you you know decide yes or no, it's worth it. I I know that I keep hearing, oh, it's worth it. It's worth it. But as a parent looking at these test scores, I'm like, is it? I just I don't know. I don't know the answer. >> Yeah. >> But >> Right. >> Yeah. >> Would be the best. >> Well, the teachers are going to want

210it, right? Because that's time out of their schedule. Teachers are always going to want it and it's it's an important voice, but it's not the only voice, I guess, is what I'd say. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. >> And just just I want to add a little bit of context. So, we have been meeting uh and I think it's been probably consistently 40 minutes on Wednesdays as a district for probably close to 20 years. Uh and I can I'll get the exact number, but I think it's it's been several years we've been doing this. And I appreciate you sharing the impact on families on this schedule and really any schedule where it's different where we deviate and eight times a year we have early release for conferences. >> I know. >> So there's eight there's

211those eight and then there are some other days where there's there um you know where the last day of school. So anytime where we deviate from that that set schedule and so yes I I believe that our our teachers would say having time each week to meet in teams and to focus on uh and and follow this framework is is helpful to your point. Is it resulting in change in in learn >> and can we tie it directly to that? Um or is it like other things? It's it's complex. It's more complex than that that the four days of training that we do in August. Does that have an impact on how the start of the year goes and the learning that happens, professional learning that happens during those four days? Does that help uh

212along with this opportunity to collaborate consistently and you know does the research show that having consistent time to collaborate impact student learning? Probably depends on the research. >> So I I do appreciate the uh you sharing this. It's a part of our collective agreement. I know >> that we have language just as a side that we you know as far as like the decision and did we years ago ask our families and again this has been a long time that we've been doing this so doesn't mean that it doesn't mean that uh yeah thank you so it was that's a great point that prior to it being >> just 40 minutes at elementary it was it was a half day. >> Oh my god. because that's where there was >> yeah that was the time

213for their um by contract we were meeting the the time that they needed as individuals so planning time >> I think from my view I struggle to correlate when we say attendance and time in the classroom is so critical and at the same time when I compare to and I understand it's in our bargaining agreement but I compare to like schools that go to school from 8 to 3 so our kids are missing out on a half an hour every day of activity time and then another 45 minutes on Wednesdays. And I think I did the math when I first came to this district and emailed you like, "Oh, my kids get 18 days of fewer school here because of the way it's set up." So, I I think there is something worth looking into

214there to at least potentially explore understanding that we are locked in the collective bargaining agreement and that our neighbors do it and it would be a very hard change. But it does make me wonder like 18 days over the course of 12 years in school like that's not in insignificant numbers. What's kind of compared to like other like many other states or >> other other states and even in Washington you've got if you go north they have different like because I've >> it just it depends on the area and it does seem like regions do things similarly so it's not just us it's all our neighbors do this >> but there's quite a few that have >> different well and different schedules too I mean there's track schedules there's you know all these different schedules

215too >> four days a week there's yeah >> but I think as we keep the test go down we've got to look at every >> yeah and to And to add to your point on like nationally, >> yeah, it's a national trend. Yeah, for sure. >> So you throw a couple like five and 10% growth. >> That's you. I mean I all for it like but let's make some big points on scores, right? So I was just wondering I guess my question would be like where did you come up with those two numbers? >> Uh you know somewhat arbitrary in establishing you want to make incremental increases in growth. >> Yeah. And so uh and this is a draftbody that >> yeah of incremental growth because you look at like all of our targets are

216at 100%. When we're sitting at 43 >> like how do we how about we have a target of 46 and then 51 like right? >> So thinking about it that way. So I like seeing small growth numbers like that >> achievable. Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, high expectations for our for our students, high expectations for our staff, high expectations for me and and delivering and you know, again, we're we're looking at nationally what's happening and but what I I think um who who mentioned like what can we be different? Can we can we uh can we highlight you know what are we doing? We are goal. Can we highlight what we are doing to impact change and and growth and >> and then hopefully prove that what we're doing is making a difference. >>

217You're the trends setters. >> Yes. >> But how do we do that? So this is a draft your thoughts on the the board goals and maybe what we can do is you can send me individually your thoughts and then what I will do is based on your individual thoughts I can start developing um you know revisions to what we have here. I mean, initial is I think they're solid and when you especially when I look at goal number two and what ID just mentioned about how thin the the staff here has gotten like I don't know that we have a choice to continue to support like new ideas and growth in the school just relying on the handful of employees in this office without other people stepping in to help support that like you're just

218you're spread too thin some will have to drop. So we just need to know how to organize these said group >> and we yeah we'll talk more about the the impact we're seeing with individuals uh partnerships y >> we have so many amazing partnerships individual families that contribute all sorts of time resources to to improving the experience for our students. So I think that's that's that's the idea plus the expertise that we have in this community. >> Yeah for sure. Love it. >> Okay. So you're good with sending me your thoughts? and I'll collect those thoughts and continue our dialogue at our next meeting. >> So by next meeting you'd like those? >> Uh yeah, I mean the sooner the better would be great. >> All right, if any more questions on that. >> All

219right, we are moving on to policy 341, student discipline, which is our first meeting on this one. >> Yeah, operating principles. >> Yep, just kidding. 2025. Yep. >> Board superintendent operator. >> Yep. So this particular document and so just continuing what we just we've earlier been discussing. >> Oh yeah. >> So this document identifies really the roles and responsibilities of the board and the superintendent, how we interact, how you uh how you receive um concerns, complaints, feedback, what you do with that information when it comes from the community. Um, you know, we have we have specific policies for a complaint against a staff member, complaining against a program when someone's looking for resolution of a complaint. So, we have policies that identify what our practice is. This is just I I think this document I

220appreciate um is somewhat more concise. Uh we have a lot of policies that that we're required to know. This boils it down to a couple pages specifically around how we interact what the expectations are me as well as you yourselves. So u I appreciate the reference to policies in here. I think the idea being moving forward this is if we get some examples of other districts in a similar way with the goals if you I'll share those with you and you can share with me if there are some other examples. I won't call them models, but other examples of districts operating principles that you would like to edit this document and maybe make some revisions. Then I could have a draft version of those revisions. Like this is not something that we have to approve

221that you have to approve with the next board. >> Okay. >> That we could have some time >> to look it over. Yeah. >> We want to create a document that's >> uh updated and maybe more relevant to the things that we're you're concerned about. Yeah. >> Yeah. I like that. >> I think having some time to look at examples from other districts um will be valuable. >> Yeah. >> Just continue it as a even as a discussion item. >> Yes. >> Y >> All right. Now we're ready for policy 3241 student discipline. Our first reading on this. >> Yes. So we have in our last the last board meeting you approved a policy that was brand new. Excuse me. So I let me take it back. I presented to you a policy this the

222student uh devices a policy that's that's brand new. >> We also revised a policy where you saw clearly uh what the recommendation was and striking some language out and adding new language. This is another way that we can we look at policy. There are substantial revisions in the student discipline policy. We started down this process last year probably about this time was too discipline and then we it was recommended to us to pause on adopting and revising the policy because OSBI and legislator were still working through and the student disability policy. So that continued. There were there were multiple revisions. So this now is the most updated student discipline policy. Instead of giving you our polic policy with all the strikeouts, there were so many revisions >> that we went with this practice of >>

223here's what ours is currently. Here's the new revised version. So substantial changes in the student discipline policy. our uh council recommended go with this model policy, but there was a there was one revision that we made, but it referenced a policy that we currently don't have. >> It's not a required policy. >> Nope. >> But it's a policy that again we don't have and and I didn't think it was necessary based on council to to add that policy in order to be able to revise this policy. So um you've had a chance uh I think a little bit of time to to review it. Yeah, we have more time to to to go through u you know in details. I did not include the procedure >> which um we're there's going to be some work

224to revise the procedure as we you know as as Patty shared with us. We have the policy which is the the what and the how is the the procedure >> and there are some decisions to be made with the procedure that I would share with you. um that that I when I make those decisions um how much was revised from the the model procedure typically with procedure we have to we have to make it our own so it needs to be our our specific information and then there's some decisions on like is there a discipline matrix what does that matrix look like so some things that I got to look through it too >> I I think it' be valuable if before we adopt a new policy on student discipline that we um get the

225information out that we're going to revise student discipline policy. This is a a topic that impacts a larger number of families than maybe it could, but it does impact a large number of families. And I would feel bad if we adopt a policy and then hear about something we overlooked or was overlooked or something in in the form of uh I rate parents who disagree with the new policy. >> So that's my only request. Somehow we get it out on the web and let people know there's going to be a revision in student discipline policy at Washugal. >> Here's what's proposed. >> Here's the pro proposal. Here's your time to comment at a at a board meeting. >> I It's on the agenda, but >> No, exactly. I guess that's I guess that's the >>

226kind of slips through if >> I guess that's the Yeah, the point of having open public meetings, >> right? >> Having an agenda posted, right? >> Here's the opportunity. So the wonder is like and the impact and your people are they on our website are they interested in having being a part of these >> even looking at it right >> I I think to Jim's point on something this that's bigger and is going to touch everybody probably more it's worth maybe doing a little extra >> just a big change >> push out versus some of the other policies which are minor tweaks and maybe only impact it you know >> and I would piggyback on that if you read the old policy and you read the new polic policy. The big thing that popped up

227to me is that the language around parents and parents rights really shifts >> and I know it's there's a lot going on in the state legislature and we talk about this too. The procedure really documents it really well, but the policy doesn't. So, and it kind of piggybacks on there that we're talking about, hey, this does impact more than just a policy and a procedure. It's about parents and students and parents rights when it comes to students discipline. So that to me is the one miss in this lean policy coming from Waza >> especially you should look at the old policy. >> Gotcha. >> My ask was going to be will the matrix put more authority with the teachers because I had heard in the past that there was because of the way the policy

228was worded there were children kept in classes that were pretty disruptive for an extended period of time which then impacted all the other kiddos. And I know part of that was like you couldn't take away recess anymore. So they felt like they'd lost one of their levers. >> Yeah. >> So are we trying to give them back more levers because I mean especially when we're talking about classrooms of like 28 29 if you've got one disruptive child in there you're impacting. >> Thank you. Yeah. So so the the big idea >> Yeah. with the legislative decision is in 2019 there were substantial changes with our student discipline and and our practice has changed dramatically and this is a response to concerns have been expressed I believe by uh uh several individuals and and organizations about

229what's happening in in classrooms and in schools. So this is in essence a response to those concerns. There is more I would say authority that the individual teachers have within that the classroom and controlling the the the environment a safe supportive environment. So I would say that that there is that that's the uh the a response to some of the concerns that we've seen um that we've heard uh that we heard through our strategic plan that you you see uh articles uh in the you know published frequently about >> the concerns right and so I think you'll also see we have evidence of our response to that and so as I things I highlighted early on is that that's us responding and providing what I believe is more support in the classrooms with the teachers

230u this policy it's support of classroom teachers um our principles are are are aware of these changes uh the proposed changes that were last year uh there's numerous student discipline trainings that are happening provided by Stevens Clay across that's the the trainings that we use providing training for administrators were the ones who administer the discipline. >> Teachers don't administer discipline. It's the building administrators supporting teachers, supporting students, supporting families when we have situations occurring in our buildings and our class. So, it is a response to that. Um, I know that answers your question. The matrix doesn't the matrix just identifies like and and this is where it's challenging with the matrix. How do you how do you have a response already predetermined for all situations? >> And so that's why it's it's really hard because

231context matters. What occurred? What evidence do we have of what occurred? U individual students, individual families, individual uh situations. So, so administrator, uh, teachers, uh, by setting clear expectations so students know what's happening, which has happened all last week, it's going to continue to happen. And then when there's a situation that arises and following these practices, the